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Ohio State Buckeyes take a massive loss to the Texas Longhorns just over a month before they play to start the season

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Brandon Little | Last updated Jul 20, 2025 9:55 PM ET

The last month has been an eventful one for the Ohio State Buckeyes. While they’ve secured several new commitments, they also experienced their first decommitment of the cycle.

Jakob Weatherspoon flipped to North Carolina to play for Bill Belichick, resulting in the Buckeyes losing an in-state four-star cornerback. It wasn’t a devastating loss, but a loss nonetheless.

Now, the Buckeyes have been dealt another blow, as their top running back target has committed to an SEC program.

Five-star RB Derrek Cooper chooses Texas over Ohio State and Georgia

Although Ohio State had seemingly cooled on Cooper’s recruitment in recent weeks, they were still one of his finalists. In the end, Cooper chose to play for Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns — the same team the Buckeyes will face in their season opener on August 30.

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The Chaminade-Madonna (FL) standout picked Texas over Ohio State, Georgia, and Miami. Cooper, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound running back, is ranked as the No. 29 overall player in the country, per the 247Sports Composite.

Ohio State took three running backs in the last cycle following the departures of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. This year, they appear set to take two. So far, four-star Favour Akih out of Delaware Hayes (OH) is the lone running back committed to Carlos Locklyn’s group.

This is a tough loss for the Buckeyes, as they were edged out by Texas — a program that, like Ohio State, is poised to compete for national championships in the years ahead.

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

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