Less than two months ago, five-star running back Derrek Cooper committed to the Texas Longhorns over his home-state teams, Miami, Florida State, and Florida.
Now, even though he has already committed, Cooper shared that he would take an official visit with the Horns during their Week 4 matchup against Sam Houston State.
Cooper, who is the No. 2 running back in the class of 2026, will be in Austin, which he referred to as "home," over the weekend of Sept. 19-21.
What's truly shocking is that Cooper has yet to set foot in the city that the Longhorns call home. He took 10 visits with the Miami Hurricanes, six with the Georgia Bulldogs, and even visited the Texas A&M Aggies, but never actually came to see Texas.
Now, with Cooper's commitment in his back pocket, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian will get to show the blue-chip prospect everything that his future program entails.
I will be home in Austin, for my Offical visit *September 19-21* 🤘🏾
— Derrek Cooper (@DerrekCooper80) September 13, 2025
Cooper is part of the Horns' rapidly improving class of 2026, which features the No. 1 quarterback, Dia Bell, and the No. 1 linebacker, Tyler Atkinson, in the recruiting cycle. This follows Texas's nationally ranked No. 1 recruiting class of 2025, which included five five-star prospects.
Sarkisian has done an undeniably incredible job on the recruiting trail since arriving in Austin, repeatedly bringing in top 10 or top five classes for the Horns. Cooper is just one of the many highly talented prospects to commit to Texas since Sark took hold of the reins.
Beyond Cooper, Bell, and Atkinson, the Longhorns' class of 2025 already includes 21 star-rated recruits, ranks No. 5 in the country, and No. 2 in the SEC, only trailing the Georgia Bulldogs in the conference standings.