Cooper Dawson Traded College Football for Yacht Drama on ‘Below Deck Med’
At 6-foot-5, Cooper brings size, strength and a competitive streak to one of TV’s messiest deck crews.
Published June 12 2026, 10:45 a.m. ET
A new rookie has joined the Below Deck crew, and he is already making a splash. Before joining Below Deck Mediterranean Season 11, Cooper Dawson spent several years playing college football. He started the season with zero years of professional yachting experience, which means fans will watch him learn almost everything.
Cooper played college football before joining Below Deck Med. He competed on both sides of the ball during his career and moved between defensive line and tight end. His athletic background could help him survive long shifts, demanding charter guests and a very dramatic deck team.
Did Cooper Dawson play football?
Cooper attended Hanahan High School in South Carolina, where he played defensive end and tight end, according to his Syracuse bio. He became a two-time Hanahan Defensive Lineman of the Year and led the team in sacks during his sophomore and junior seasons. He also played first base for the school’s baseball team and led the Hawks in home runs as a junior.
His senior football season ended before it started because of a torn ACL. However, Cooper still earned a spot on South Carolina’s roster for the 2018 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, which features top high school players from North Carolina and South Carolina.
According to his official Bravo biography, Cooper now enjoys fishing, disc golf, skincare and lifting weights when he is not working. He also named returning deckhand Joe Bradley as his best friend aboard the yacht, which could become complicated as Joe’s feud with bosun Nathan Gallagher continues to grow.
Cooper has already learned that the polished service guests see does not tell the full story. “It's the most secretly unprofessional industry,” Cooper said of yachting. “We put on masks for the guests, but as soon as they're gone, we're just a bunch of modern-day sailors looking for a drink and a good time.”
Fans will also see his softer side. In a Season 11 preview, Cooper FaceTimes his grandmother while working a late shift. The charter guests join the conversation to greet her, leaving Cooper emotional. “That just warmed my heart,” he says.
Where did Cooper Dawson attend college?
Cooper first attended Syracuse University. He enrolled in January 2019 and joined the Orange as a defensive lineman. He redshirted during the 2019 season and earned spots on the ACC Honor Roll and Syracuse University Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. He also served as vice president of Syracuse’s chapter of Uplifting Athletes, an organization that supports people affected by rare diseases..
He later transferred closer to home and joined Charleston Southern University’s football program. Cooper played defensive line for Charleston Southern during the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons. He appeared in six games in 2021, 10 games in 2022 and eight games in 2023. During his 2022 season, he recorded 12 tackles and two sacks. Charleston Southern eventually moved him to tight end. The school listed the 6-foot-5, 235-pound athlete as a redshirt senior tight end in 2024.