Born in Santa Maria, California, Cooks grew up there and initially attended St. Joseph High School, where he played football and basketball.
[3] As a senior at Atascadero in 2016, Cooks tallied 56 catches for 966 yards and 15 touchdowns, winning the Pac 5 Offensive Player of the Year award.
[6] Cooks also briefly joined the Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball team in the 2017–18 season as a temporary replacement for an injured player.
[8] After five years with Nevada, Cooks moved on to San Jose State University as a graduate transfer.
[9] It's at San Jose State where he had his most productive year, garnering selection to the first-team All-MW.