Cooper Teare thinks he's a miler, Jerry Schumacher thinks he's a 5000 guy. What do you think?

He’s a miler for sure, which is one of the reasons I didn’t like this move when it was announced. I see him being more like McSweyn than Fisher in terms of his strengths.

This is not even remotely important. But it is still arguably worth a thread. By that I mean his results will speak for themselves. He is one of the top 10 milers and 5000m runners in the US. Possibly even one of the top 10 10000m runners in the US. He can call himself whatever he wants but he will remain what he is.

I will elaborate and say Cooper is a poor man’s Jakob. By that I mean Cooper is neither and both a miler and a 5000m runner. He can do both events fairly well but not spectacularly. I will add that he is a great runner but everything is relative of course.

He will probably end up being more of a 5k guy. Yeah, he won USA's last year but it was a pretty weak field (no Hocker, Centro, Engels, Nuguse injured) and he didn't make it out of rounds at Worlds. His 5k scores higher than his 1500 as well.

He shall retire. American hype does not move legs.

Getting out kicked by Henry Wynne is not a good sign. I don’t see him winning a medal in the 1500m with the talent rn. Too many good guys in the 1500m. Kerr, Hoare, Gourley, Wightman, Katir, Nuguse, Jakob, Cheriyout, and the list goes on. Teare focused too much on the 5k in college and while he did win USA’s last year, his current 1500m pr is only 3:34. Can he make the next step and jump in the low 3:30’s/sub 3:30 with Jerry’s training? I doubt it, knowing Jerry’s history.

Consider the steeplechase if he wants to make teams and possibly medal.

Its February, shouldn't read into one race that deeply. Kerr just got smoked by Gourley, Mechaal, Coscoran and Mccann, but clearly not reflective of what will happen outdoors.

Jerry Schumacher thought that Brandon Bethke was a steeplechaser, despite the overwhealming evidence he was not. Go figure.

I’m kinda surprised Jerry hasn’t told his tall 1500/5k guy to run a steeple. Especially with Jager getting close to retirement.

His current world ranking in the 1500 is 81. That puts him right behind Morgan Beadlescomb (the USA’s 14th highest miler) and right ahead of Emery Kiplimo (Kenya’s 6th highest miler). His highest ever ranking was 44. For reference, Drew Hunter is currently ranked 45th in the world.

In the 5000, he has been ranked as high as 14.

He’s a 5000 guy. If he puts his focus there, he can be sub-13:00 and mixing it up in Diamond leagues and making world finals for the next 8-10 years. If he puts his focus in the 1500, he may run 3:32, but he’s not adding to trophy case outside of the US.

I think he can probably run 3:31, but I agree with your general premise. That being said, why not the Steeple? Cooper’s a bit of a tweener, probably a slightly better version of Ryan Hill. I don’t think most of us envision him being good enough to beat Hocker or Nuguse when those guys are clicking.

Cooper has a better chance of making the US team at 1500m, but a better chance of medaling in the 5000m. I give him a better chance beating Fisher in a 5k(in a tactical race) than Nuguse in a 1500m

The 3:34 is a bit misleading considering he did it solo in poor conditions, has run 3:50 twice (last time with a crazy 1:52 final 800), and comported himself well in his only Diamond League appearance (3:51 for 6th at Pre). He is capable of making the jump to 3:30 or better, but I worry that training with Jerry makes it less likely. We’ll see. Maybe he runs sub 12:50 this summer and none of this matters.

I've never understood this line of thinking, because in college he was beating Hocker and Nuguse when they were clicking. He got 6th in the Bowerman Mile in his first ever DL. That shows he can mix it up with the best at the very least.

I don’t understand it either. He beat Hocker both times they were chasing the AR which seems significant given the way global finals have been run the last few years. Hocker is the better kicker but otherwise I don’t see a huge gap between them.

With his long and loping stride, Teare is not a miler. Can you honestly see him running 1:44 for 800m? He’s certainly not going to be cracking 12:50. I don’t think you understand the rarified air associated with sub 12:50. Lastly, he’s definitely not athletic enough to be a world class steeplechase guy either. Don’t get me wrong, he’ll make teams in the 5k. He’ll probably even crack 13 at some point. But the expectations being applied to the kid in this thread are completely unrealistic. You toss around 3:31 like it’s a given- it’s not.