Get to know 2026 signee and four-star RB Derrek Cooper
Whether you’re a diehard recruiting aficionado in need of a refresher or a casual recruiting fan needing only the particulars, this will be the series for you.
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The first national signing day for college football is Wednesday, December 3. This series will give you the chance to familiarize yourself with the next class charged with keeping Texas near the top of the college football world.
To win at a consistently high level requires talented class after talented class. The top-10 2026 class does that following a No. 1 class in 2025.
On the first national signing day, Inside Texas will offer profiles of each member of the 2026 signing class. Up next, Derrek Cooper.
The Player: Derrek Cooper, RB, Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep
The Rating: 94.60 (four-star)
The Ranking: Cooper is the No. 74 overall prospect, the No. 4 running back, and the No. 10 player in Florida in the Rivals Industry Ranking. Rivals ranks Cooper as the No. 216 overall prospect, the No. 15 running back, and the No. 27 player in Florida.
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The Highlights:
The Recruitment: It began with a brief commitment to Georgia in June of 2024 that lasted only days. The aftermath of that pledge was when the Miami Hurricanes turned up the heat and built tremendous relationships with the in-state four-star. For the longest, The U was The Pick. Cooper had an announcement date set and was Coral Gables bound. Then Texas happened. UT was unable to snag original targets Tradarian Ball, KJ Edwards, and Javian Osborne, so running backs coach Chad Scott dialed up his connections with one of the top tailbacks in the country in Cooper. After a multi-day unofficial trip to Austin in April with his family, he kept the Longhorns in mind and kept the OV in his back pocket. After taking OVs to some of the top schools in the Southeast, the Longhorns plucked Cooper from the Sunshine State without an official visit prior to his commitment. Miami and Florida State continued to push, but after his official visit to Texas in September, he was all Longhorns.
The Quote: “The experience was like no other. The coaches and the players were great. The fans are crazy and the tradition is great. They made a great impression and the first visit was great.” – Cooper
The Projection: 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
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The Final Word: Cooper is one of the best in the country at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds. He’ll likely get some early run as a freshman next fall with his much-needed athleticism and speed. He’ll enroll early in January.
