Deontae Cooper, San Jose State’s No. 1 running back, is quite accomplished — in the classroom. He owns two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree from the University of Washington.

Cooper is 25 years old and in his seventh season of college football.

That’s three years older than Los Angeles Rams’ running back Todd Gurley, one of the NFL’s up-and-coming stars. It’s a year older than 49ers’ running back Carlos Hyde, who is entering his third NFL season.

After arriving at Washington in 2010 as one of the more highly touted running backs on the West Coast, Cooper suffered a series of ACL tears – two in his left knee, one in his right – that kept him off the field for three seasons.

Fortunately for Cooper, after redshirting in his freshman year, the NCAA granted him medical redshirts in 2011 and 2012, meaning two seasons of eligibility were preserved that otherwise would have been wiped out due to his injuries. The clock on Cooper’s four years of eligibility did not start ticking until 2013 – he was treated as a freshman for the NCAA’s purposes — although he was senior academically by then.

“The injuries were not something I wanted to happen, but at the end of the day, they happened,” Cooper said. “I was happy to move forward.”

The graduate transfer will make his Spartan Stadium debut Saturday when SJSU (0-1) hosts Portland State (1-0).

Cooper never became a full-time starter at Washington after arriving as a four-star recruit from Citrus Hill High School in Riverside County.. He started just two games in three seasons in Seattle and rushed for more than 100 yards in a game only once – against Oregon State in 2013, the same year he scored three of his five career touchdowns.

Still, the tenacity and work ethic he displayed in overcoming the knee injuries to become a contributor for UW earned the respect of his fellow Huskies, who made him a team captain before the 2015 season.

“His attitude was really special when it comes to football,” said Jeff Lindquist, a fifth-year senior tight end at Washington who was Cooper’s teammate for four seasons. “He was tremendously positive in the way he picked people up. For someone who’s gone through so much to be able to pick people up like that is not something you see in a whole lot of people.”

Those traits – along with Cooper’s speed, power running and pass protection abilities – were why San Jose State coach Ron Caragher wanted him.

“It says a lot about this young man and his love for the game of football that he’s continued to pursue his goals and chase his dreams on the football field,” Caragher said. “He sets a good example for our younger guys.

“Plus, since it’s his last year to compete, there’s no holding back. He wants to contribute to our success and end his career on a high note.”

Cooper chose to come to SJSU chiefly because the Spartans have several players returning on an offensive line that paved the way for Tyler Ervin, now with the NFL’s Houston Texans, to rush for 1,600 yards last season.

Cooper’s first season as a starting tailback did not get off to a promising start. He rushed for just 43 yards on 19 carries and lost a fumble during the Spartans’ 45-10 setback at Tulsa last Saturday.

“My first game can definitely be improved on,” Cooper said. “But this being my last year, all I really wanted was an opportunity to show what I can do. I know I’m going to get that here.”

Walking away from the game was never even a thought for Cooper.

“He checked in a lot with me, and he was always very positive,” said Eric Eklund, Cooper’s high school coach at Citrus Hill. “He was never, ‘Woe is me.’ Every time we talked, be was upbeat – ‘Here’s my schedule, here’s what I’m going to do.’ Failure and not succeeding are not in his vocabulary.”

That’s not to say the process of rehabbing his knees and getting back into playing shape didn’t wear on him. Cooper credits Daren Nystrom, an assistant athletic trainer at Washington, with helping him stay focused.

“It started to feel like ‘Groundhog Day,’” said Cooper, referring to the 1993 film starring Bill Murray as a TV weatherman who repeatedly lives the same day over and over again. “(Nystrom) stayed in my ear and kept me motivated when things got repetitive after a while.”

Not that Nystrom needed to do much motivating.

“I can’t think of anyone who could have handled it any better,” Nystrom said. “Something like that would have broken a lot of people. Not him.”

Cooper also relied on his twin brother Deontrae and father Willie for support and encouragement. Deontrae played Division II football at Colorado State-Pueblo. Willie, who died last year, attended San Jose State.

“There was some outside noise (about quitting), but nobody in my support system ever whispered that in my ear,” Cooper said. “They made it easy for me to pursue my dreams of playing in the National Football League.”

Whether he makes it to the NFL or not, Cooper can pursue any number of career options. He has bachelor’s degrees in communications and in ethnic studies, and a master’s in intercollegiate athletics leadership. Cooper also is working on his real estate development certificate at SJSU and hopes to earn his real estate license while he’s enrolled there.

No matter what career choice he makes, Cooper is confident that he’ll succeed.

“Whatever I decide to do, I’ll be good at it because of the work ethic that I possess,” he said.

He’ll get no argument from Lindquist, the Washington tight end. “He’s the only guy I ever played with who ever had three ACL surgeries,” Lindquist said. “He set a really high bar for having a don’t-quit, believe-in-yourself kind of mentality.”