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Texas football enhanced its future backfield on Sunday. Plus swooped up the high-caliber talent over Ohio State.
Derrek Cooper is off to Austin. The nation's No. 2 running back added a new impressive college football recruiting win for the Longhorns.
The four-star out of Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Florida again spurned the Buckeyes for Texas, per 247Sports. But Ohio State wasn't the only powerhouse following short of landing him.
In-state options Florida State and Miami lost out on keeping Cooper within the Sunshine State. Texas even edged out a new nemesis of the Longhorns. Georgia, which beat the ‘Horns twice in 2024, was the third power that failed to get Cooper.
The Cooper pledge arrives nearly five days after another huge coup for the ‘Horns. Texas landed five-star James Johnson on Tuesday, decommitting from Georgia in the process. The Longhorns even leapfrogged Miami and Florida State to land four-star cornerback Samari Matthews.
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound RB rises as an intriguing future weapon for Steve Sarkisian.
Texas adding ‘jack-of-all-trades' talent over Ohio State, others
“Sark” will need to replace ultra-productive back Quintrevion Wisner soon. The key returner piled 1,064 yards and scored five touchdowns during the College Football Playoff run. Wisner likely will hear NFL chatter ahead of the draft this fall.
But Cooper fuels new intrigue for the Texas ground attack. Andrew Ivins of 247Sports delivered a glowing review of Cooper before he committed.
“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. Owns a favorable athletic profile for a mid-skill with bright green speed and explosion scores,” Ivins began in his prospect evaluation.
Ivins raved about how Cooper “runs with plenty of tempo and energy as he hits the hole with urgency.” He adds Cooper turns to his core power to force missed tackles in tight quarters. Cooper brings value as a receiving option too — even outside of serving as a check-down option.
Cooper drew intrigue on defense too. He's a downhill hitter at linebacker and safety. The versatile talent piled 10 tackles for a loss with four sacks on that side of the ball.
He now heads to the nation's No. 5 ranked recruiting class for 2026.
