New five-star Texas RB commit Derrek Cooper draws Bijan Robinson comparisons

New running back commit Derrek Cooper has a chance to be a major pickup for the Texas Longhorns.

Cooper is a five-star athlete from Hollywood, Florida (Chaminade-Madonna High School). He chose the Longhorns this past weekend over other big-time finalists in Florida State, Georgia, Miami and Ohio State.

ESPN ranks him as the No. 1 running back recruit in the 2026 class and because of his ability to play both sides of the ball, 247Sports ranks him as the No. 2 athlete in the country.

Either way, he's an impressive football player. Cooper rushed 124 times last season for 905 yards and 13 touchdowns. He caught nine passes for 156 yards and a touchdown, and on defense, he notched 46 tackles, four pass breakups, four sacks, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.

Oh, and he blocked a pair of punts.

Though he can do everything on the football field, Texas covets Cooper as a running back.

“It’s a really good school and a really good choice,” Cooper told Rivals regarding his decision to commit to Texas. “It’s in the SEC [and] they are only taking one back. Coach [Chad] Scott is a really good coach; he’s done a lot of great development with guys.”

Speaking of development, the Texas staff apparently sees superstar potential in Cooper. His father, Corey Cooper, told ESPN that the Longhorns have compared his son to former Texas star running back and current Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson.

"They've talked about his skill set and compared his build to Bijan Robinson," the elder Cooper said. "They don't have a running back like Derrek right now. They feel like they can do a lot with him."

Robinson 3,410 yards and 33 touchdowns while adding 805 yards and eight touchdowns through the air in three seasons at Texas. He was selected No. 8 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Falcons.

If Cooper has that type of potential, he'll be a household name for the Longhorns in just a few short years.