Yardbarker
x
Five-Star Running Back Commits to Texas Longhorns
July 15, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian speaks during SEC Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Five-Star Running Back Commits to Texas Longhorns

Originally posted on Texas Longhorns on SI
By Tyler Firtel  |  Last updated Jul 20, 2025 7:03 PM ET

Over the past week, the Texas Longhorns have leaped into action in the 2026 recruiting cycle. With the commitment of linebacker Tyler Atkinson and flip of James "JJ" Johnson on July 15, Texas bounced back from an underwhelming stretch on the trail to certify its class as one of the top in the nation.

And the Longhorns have added to their class in a big way again on Sunday by securing the commitment of highly-touted running back Derrek Cooper.

Cooper, out of Hollywood, Florida, is the No. 1-ranked running back and No. 7-ranked overall player in ESPN's recruiting database. He gives the Longhorns their fourth top-15 commit on ESPN's list, alongside quarterback Dia Bell (No. 4), defensive end Richard Wesley (No. 11), and Atkinson (No. 14).

Derrek Cooper's decision

Cooper chose the Longhorns over other finalists Florida State, Miami, Ohio State and Georgia.

Cooper's commitment comes without him ever officially visiting the Forty Acres. He took a trip to each of his other four finalists between May 30 and June 20, but only ever visited Texas unofficially on April 26.

Nevertheless, Texas's pitch was too much for Cooper to pass up on.

"[The Longhorns] came with a big offer and a big opportunity to play early in Austin," InsideTexas's Justin Wells said on July 14.

With both Quintrevion Wisner and CJ Baxter potentially gone to the NFL after this season, Cooper has a path to a substantial role in Texas's offense as a freshman. New running backs coach Chad Scott, who joined the Longhorns staff in February, gets the first big-time recruit of his tenure.

Texas had struggled in the 2026 running back department following the loss of running backs coach Tashard Choice to the Detroit Lions, with targets KJ Edwards and Ezavier Crowell committing to SEC rivals.

Still, Scott swung for the fences and has been rewarded with one of the most exciting backfield prospects of the class.

Interestingly, 247Sports has Cooper categorized as a two-way athlete. When evaluating him back in January, its director of scouting, Andrew Ivins, wrote that Cooper is "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."

While focusing on the running back position for college, his proficiency on both sides of the game is a skillset to watch as he becomes involved in Austin.

In 15 games during his junior year, Cooper accumulated 905 rushing yards on 124 carries, a 7.3 yards per carry average, with 13 touchdowns. On defense, he had 46 total tackles, four sacks and an interception.

Cooper's Chaminade-Madonna took on Bell's American Heritage last season, emerging victorious in a 48-45 shootout. Cooper tallied 60 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, also adding three receptions for 25 yards, while Bell threw for 358 yards and four touchdowns on 24 completions.

Now, both soon-to-be Texas Longhorns, the two Floridians will face off this season as high school seniors on Sept. 5.

Cooper has had a whirlwind of a recruiting path. He committed to Georgia on June 6, 2024, decommitting only days later on June 10. He received 37 offers over the span of his recruitment, taking seven official visits. Earlier this year in March, rumors of Cooper staying in-state flew around, with Gaby Urrutia of InsideTheU "crystal balling" him to Miami.

But since taking his unofficial visit to Texas in April, the momentum for Cooper to land with the Longhorns ramped up. As of recently, the race was reportedly between Georgia and Texas -- in the end, it was the Longhorns who prevailed.

With Cooper's pledge, head coach Steve Sarkisian is a step closer to maintaining his impressive recruiting track record in Austin. Since 2022, Sarkisian's first full cycle as Texas's play-caller, he is yet to have a class ranked below sixth in 247Sports' composite rankings.

Cooper becomes the 21st commit of the Texas 2026 class, with the Longhorns not expected to be done on the recruiting trail quite yet.


This article first appeared on Texas Longhorns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.