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Florida State Seminoles are closing in on getting a player who could really help transform their offense

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Justin Churchill | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 6:34 PM ET

The Florida State Seminoles are on the road to bouncing back from that horrid 2-10 season last year. Before that, they had one of the best seasons they have ever had that didn't end in a National Championship win or appearance.

Now, head coach Mike Norvell, who is on the hot seat a bit, has recruited his butt off, so much so that the Noles are in a good position to make a huge jump in 2025. Then again, it won't be hard to win more than two games this upcoming season.

Some of the recruiting we have seen is going to help the future of this team tremendously. Some of that has been for the 2025 class, which we will get a great view of here soon, and some of it has been for the 2026 class. When it comes to 2026, the Noles have been on fire lately, and they could only get hotter, as one five-star RB, and a four-star by some other sites' ratings, has the Noles in his top-five.

Derrek Cooper puts FSU in his top five

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Derrek Cooper is one of the very best running backs in the 2026 class, and looks like he could be a player that transforms the Noles offense if he were to choose them. He's a five-star running back from the class of 2026, who attends Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Hollywood, Florida. At 6'1" and 200 pounds, he’s a versatile athlete, with great size to play the RB position in the ACC.

In his junior year, he rushed for 905 yards and 13 touchdowns on 124 carries, showing speed, power, and tackle-breaking ability. Cooper is a top recruit, ranked No. 1 all-purpose back and No. 12 overall nationally by Rivals. He's a guy that most blue-blood teams have been keeping tabs on.

His final college choices are Ohio State, Florida State, Miami, Georgia, and Texas. Cooper visited Georgia, Miami, Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, and Ohio State, with Miami often seen as the favorite due to his ties to the program and being relatively close to the area. He briefly committed to Georgia in June 2024 but later reopened his recruitment.

And, the Noles aren't the top option that everyone is predicting, but make no mistake about it -- they are in the running. We have seen some crazy things happen in this new era of college football with NIL and the transfer portal. Getting Cooper would be huge for a program that really needs it.

However, the head coach situation with Norvell being a bit on the hot seat could be something that is scaring recruits away.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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