Before the crowd sees him, there’s a quiet shift. The suit goes on. The posture changes.
And Brayden Hensley becomes Cocky.
To fans, Cocky is all energy and antics. But inside the suit is a criminology and criminal justice major balancing school and a role that demands constant performance.
Hensley traces his path to becoming Cocky back to a simple moment in the stands, when he first saw the role not just as entertainment, but as something he wanted to be part of himself.
“I was at a volleyball game my freshman year and started watching Cocky instead of
the game. Cocky was making the crowd of almost 2,000 fans feel like 20 people with
how he was personally interacting with everyone and cheering on the team,” Hensley
says. “That’s when I realized it’s not just entertainment — Cocky matters to so many
people.”
Three years and hundreds of events later, Hensley is hanging up the suit—but not the
person he became in it.
“I feel like we’re different, but also the same. I’m outgoing, I like meeting new
people, and I enjoy making others happy. Being Cocky just amplifies that, it’s a bigger
version of who I already am,” Hensley says.
That sense of connection has become one of the most important parts of the role, influencing
how Hensley approaches every interaction.
“You never know what someone’s going through. What feels like a small moment to you like taking
a picture or saying, ‘Hi,’ can mean everything to someone else. And it goes both ways,”
Hensley says. “There are days when I’m not feeling great, but someone’s excitement
to see Cocky can completely turn my day around.”
Now, as he looks ahead to attending law school, Hensley says the role has only deepened his connection to the university and the people around him.
“During the last 10 minutes of the women’s basketball game against UConn, I was crying in the suit. It was one of my last big events as Cocky, and I was overwhelmed,” Hensley says. “I was reflecting on the past three years and everything that led to that moment. I was so proud of what I’d been part of, even though no one knew it was me behind the suit.”
And while the suit came off at the end of the game, the impact of what it represents doesn’t.
“I’ve always enjoyed making people happy,” he says, “but being Cocky has really amplified that and shown me how much those moments can matter.”