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Nov 9, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell watches in the third quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Top-100 recruit passes on FSU football for SEC program

Originally posted on Florida State Seminoles on SI
By Dustin Lewis | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Florida State's 2026 recruiting class took a hit last week as four-star running back Amari Thomas backed off of his pledge to the Seminoles.

That has FSU sitting without a running back in #Tribe26 late in the summer months.

Now, one of the program's top uncommitted targets is headed elsewhere in a move which didn't come as a major surprise.

On Sunday, four-star running back Derrek Cooper announced his pledge to Texas over Florida State, Miami, Georgia, and Ohio State.

Cooper was in Tallahassee for an official visit from June 15-17. He was a prospect whom the Seminoles had been recruiting for well over a year.

At this stage, there aren't many running back targets out there for Florida State. Expect the Seminoles to expand the board in the near future.

As a junior, Cooper starred for a Chaminade-Madonna High School team that went 13-2 and won its fourth straight state championship. He rushed 124 times for 905 yards and 13 touchdowns while catching nine passes for 156 yards and another score. Cooper added 46 tackles, ten tackles for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, four pass deflections, two blocked punts, and one interception that he returned for a touchdown.

The Florida native rushed a season-high 29 times for 184 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-34 loss to Blanche Ely High School on August 30. He recorded nine tackles and a tackle for loss in a 35-6 playoff victory against Trinity Christian Academy on December 6.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound running back is regarded as the No. 29 overall prospect, the No. 2 ATH, and the No. 2 recruit in Florida in the 2026 class according to the 247Sports composite ratings

Florida State holds 21 verbal commitments in its 2026 class which ranks No. 15 in the country.