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Four-star RB Derrek Cooper commits to the Texas Longhorns

Joe Cookby: Joe Cook07/20/25josephcook89
Cooper texas afi

Chad Scott has his running back in the 2026 class. Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna running back Derrek Cooper has committed to Texas, choosing the Longhorns over Miami and Georgia without even taking an official visit to Austin.

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Cooper is ranked as the No. 37 overall prospect, the No. 2 running back, and the No. 6 player in Florida in the Rivals Industry Ranking. Rivals ranks Cooper as the No. 123 overall prospect, the No. 8 running back, and the No. 15 player in Florida.

How he fits at Texas:

Cooper is a big kid at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds as a junior and a lot of film playing both ways down in South Florida. Cooper plays with a lot violence and is a free safety who loves running the alley in addition to being a running back who excels at working his way into the alley. He could be a safety in Texas’ defense but running back seems most likely. Cooper has great lateral agility and makes a lot of violent cuts while shrugging off tacklers on film to force his way to daylight where he has the acceleration to deal damage. He could be good in an outside zone scheme, but his jump cuts and downhill physicality all scream power run game. – Ian Boyd

Coach Says:

Strengths — Good height and build for the position and would feature nicely as a between the tackles runner. Lower body explosiveness is evident and accelerates quickly once he sees his opening. Very good vision. Gets to a top-end straight line speed that is well above average. Has a surprisingly effective jump cut. Will probably outrun most college defenders.  Always leaning into contact and lowers the shoulder for those extra yards. Consistently finishes runs with legs moving. As a receiver in the short pass game shows great tracking of the football, catching the ball with reliably soft hands. He has really nice special teams highlights showcasing athleticism and his track/long jump explosion.

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Areas for improvement — Pass blocking is an unknown. Does not have much RB film prior to this year and some see him as a defender at the college level. 

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