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The Texas football team recently picked up a huge win on the recruiting trail from five-star running back Derrek Cooper. Cooper announced his commitment to the Longhorns on Sunday, and it was another massive pickup for head coach Steve Sarkisian. Cooper is one of the best players in the 2026 recruiting class. Texas had a lot of competition here, but former Longhorn RB Bijan Robinson helped seal the deal.
Bijan Robinson now plays in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons, but before he went to the league, he was a star for the Texas football team. Now, he is helping Steve Sarkisian land elite recruits.
“He spoke with Bijan Robinson leading up to this decision and I think Bijan did a good job telling him why Texas was a great decision for him,” Insider Gerry Hamilton said, according to a post from OnTexasFootball.
Robinson is no longer a member of the team, but he is still helping Texas on the gridiron even after his departure.
Derrek Cooper's recruiting profile
Derrek Cooper is a five-star recruit, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. He is the #29 player in the 2026 recruiting class, the #2 athlete and the #2 player in the state of Florida. Cooper currently attends Chaminade-Madonna High School in Hollywood, FL. There are numerous big programs in the Sunshine State, but Texas won the battle.
“A jack-of-all-trades that some schools view as a running back while others think the ceiling might be higher as a back-seven defender,” Cooper's scouting report reads. “Owns a favorable athletic profile for a mid-skill with bright green speed and explosion scores. As a ball carrier, runs with plenty of tempo and energy as he hits the hole with urgency. Always seems to be spiraling forward with his 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame and will use his core power to bounce off tacklers in tight quarters. Effective on swing/screen passes and has the hands to emerge as more than just a check-down option for a passing attack. On defense, displays advanced IQ as he’s quick to read and react.”
Cooper's primary position is RB, but he could end up playing anywhere for Texas.
“Charges downhill with authority and has proven to be a solid open-field tackler,” the scouting report adds. “Can get home on the blitz and is also rather competent in both man and zone coverage after playing primarily safety early on in prep career. Should be viewed as one of the more unique evaluations in the class given the position ambiguity as he could settle in as a bell cow on offense or thrive as a speed-and-space linebacker. Will need a plan and a vision at the next level, but has stamped himself as one of the top overall prospects in the Sunshine State at this stage after impacting games in a variety of different ways.”
The Texas football team landed one of the most versatile players in the 2026 class, and Bijan Robinson helped get the job done.
