2026 Texas RB Commit Shines in First Game of Senior Season

As the weekend nears its end, so does the first week of high school football for many schools. One school that opened its 2025 campaign this week was Chaminade-Madonna Prep, located in Hollywood, Florida.

The Lions opened their season against West Boca Raton High School, earning their first win of the season in an 18-10 victory. The win was partly a result of 4-star running back Derrek Cooper’s strong season-opening performance.

Cooper is ranked as the No. 2 running back in the class and committed to head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns almost a month ago now. Cooper is 6-feet tall and weighs 210 pounds, and although he is a bigger back, he can run fast.

Although the Lions did struggle to get Cooper and the ground game going, which may have been nothing more than early-season struggles, Cooper did finish the game with over 80 yards on the ground.

Most of the yards he did gain, though, came off a single rush that went for about 70 yards. Late in the game, in the fourth quarter, Cooper took the handoff and made a couple of strong cuts to get to the outside, where he burned every defender and went untouched to score a touchdown, giving the Lions a sense of confidence to finish the game out with a win.

Cooper is ranked as the No. 37 player overall, and there’s a reason for that; he’s a bruiser with speed. He shows exceptional ability to make quick cuts and take the ball upfield, but is also extremely capable of stiff-arming defenders and shrugging off tacklers to take the ball upfield for extra yardage.

Once he makes his way to Austin, likely still ranked as one of the best backs in the class of 2026, he will join a talented running back room with depth. Even if he doesn’t start early in his career, the Texas staff will ensure his development, both as a player and physically, allowing him to make an instant impact whenever he hits the field for the Longhorns.

Texas fans can catch Cooper back in action when Chaminade-Madonna takes on the No. 1-ranked high school team in St. Francis Academy out of Maryland on Saturday.