SAN ANTONIO – UIW Cardinals quarterback Jon Copeland has announced he is transferring from the university ahead of the Cardinals 2021 spring season.
Copeland announced his decision on Twitter late Tuesday, thanking his coaches, teammates, and the university for the chance to play Division I football.
“I was blessed by the opportunity to play college football at UIW and will never forget my time as a Cardinal,” he said. “I want to thank Coach Morris and his entire staff for giving me a shot to play Division 1 Football when no one else did.”
“I am so thankful for everything this experience has given me and part of me will always be a Cardinal – but it is time for a new chapter. After much prayer and hard decisions, I will be entering the TRANSFER PORTAL,” Copeland added.
Copeland took over the Cardinal offense in 2018 as a redshirt freshman, leading UIW to their first conference championship in program history. He threw for a league-high and program record 2,984 passing yards along with 22 touchdowns, leading the Cardinals to six wins, tying a program record.
Copeland helped lead UIW to lead the league in points (343), total offensive yards (4,933), and passing yards (3,237). In 2019, he broke his own record with 3,341 passing yards and tied the program record with 22 passing touchdowns in a single season.
Due to his play on the field, Copeland was named the 2018 SLC Freshman of the year. He also earned Second Team All-SLC and Stats All-American Freshman Team honors. In 2019, he was named to the HERO Sports Sophomore All-America honorable mention team.