Honors & Awards
» Academic All-Big Ten (2015)
» Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Spring, 2014; Fall, 2015)
» Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award (2015)
» Brook Berringer Citizenship Team (2015)
» Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2015)
Byerson Cockrell was a key member of the Nebraska secondary during his two years in the Cornhusker program. As a senior, Cockrell was one of the Huskers’ starting safeties and helped solidify a secondary that featured several young players. A versatile performer, Cockrell spent his first year at Nebraska working in various positions in the defensive backfield.
A transfer from East Mississippi Community College, Cockrell earned his degree in sociology in December of 2015.
2015 (Senior)
Cockrell started all 12 games he played at safety, missing only the Purdue contest for personal reasons. Cockrell ranked third on the team with 70 tackles, including 39 solo stops. He also had four tackles for loss and was fourth on the team with six pass breakups.
Cockrell had a career-high 10 tackles against Wisconsin, including a tackle for loss and added a pass breakup against the Badgers. He had a season-high two pass breakups against both South Alabama and Minnesota. Cockrell made at least five tackles in eight of 12 games, including seven or more in five straight games at mid-season.
2014 (Junior)
Cockrell primarily played nickel back as a junior, playing in all 13 games with six starts. His play helped Nebraska rank among the nation’s leaders in opponent pass completion percentage and pass efficiency defense. Cockrell made 29 tackles, including 18 solo stops. He also had an interception and ranked second on the team with seven pass breakups.
Cockrell had a season-high five tackles each against Minnesota and Iowa. He had his only interception of the season against Purdue in a contest when he also had a season-high two pass breakups. He recovered a fumble at Michigan State.
Before Nebraska (Columbus HS/East Mississippi CC)
Cockrell was a standout at East Mississippi CC, playing two seasons for Coach Buddy Stephens. In 2013, Cockrell played safety for the Lions and had three interceptions for 128 yards, including a 58-yard interception return for a touchdown. He added 33 tackles, four pass breakups, three tackles for loss and two sacks. His play helped East Mississippi to a perfect 12-0 record and the NJCAA title. Cockrell was part of a defense that ranked second nationally with 30 interceptions in 2013.
Cockrell was also a key performer for the Lions in 2012, helping the team to a 10-2 record. Cockrell finished with 20 tackles, including 16 solo stops, while picking off a pair of passes.
Cockrell attended Columbus High School, where he earned Class 6A all-state first-team honors as a senior in 2011. He had seven interceptions for 133 yards and was credited with 69 tackles, seven pass breakups and one forced fumble in his senior season. Cockrell also scored three touchdowns on offense as a senior.
He was a member of the Columbus track team, competing in the 100 and 400 meters, and the 4x100-meter relay. Cockrell was ranked among the top 10 junior college safeties in the nation by 247Sports. Cockrell also received offers from Southern Miss, Louisiana-Monroe, UAB and Middle Tennessee among others.
Personal
The son of Elizabeth Cockrell, Byerson was born on March 21, 1994. He volunteered his time with Uplifting Athletes, Make-A-Wish, Pilger tornado relief, and numerous hospital and community outreach events. Cockrell earned a spot on both the Brook Berringer Citizenship Team and the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in 2015. He also received a HERO Leadership Award in 2015.
Cockrell's Career Stats
|
|
|
Tackles |
|
|
Fum. |
|
|
|
QB |
||
|
Year |
G/S |
UT |
AT |
TT |
TFL |
Sacks |
C-R |
BK |
PBU |
Int. |
Hry. |
| 2014 | 13/6 | 18 | 11 | 29 | 1-5 | 0.0-0 | 2-1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 2015 | 12/12 | 39 | 31 | 70 | 4-5 | 0.0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
|
Totals |
25/18 | 57 | 42 | 99 | 5-10 | 0.0-0 | 2-1 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 1 |
Single-Game Highs
» Tackles–10 vs. Wisconsin (2015)
» Tackles for Loss–1, three times
» Interceptions—1 vs. Purdue (2014)
» Pass Breakups–2, three times