"Punishing" 4-star Texas RB target to announce commitment decision at 7 pm

The Longhorns have been recruiting blue-chip Chaminade-Madonna HS (Fort Lauderdale, FL) RB Derrek Cooper incredibly hard over the past few weeks. The player once seen as a Georgia "lock" has now reportedly begun to lean towards Texas due to the recruiting efforts of new Longhorn running backs coach Chad Scott.

Though the team's running back room is stacked right now, they want to add one more dominant ball-carrier to the 2026 class.

Cooper's shown the ability to be a dominant runner, and above-average pass-catcher out the backfield throughout his time at the prep level and at recruiting camps over the past two seasons.

He has excellent size (6'1", 210 lbs.) and strength for a high school senior, and is incredibly explosive due to a combination of his vision and ability to break tackles near the line of scrimmage. He averaged over 9.0 yards per carry as a Junior in 2024, while also pulling double duty as a linebacker and safety on defense for the Florida 1A State Champions.

One of his most sought-after qualities is his leg drive and ability to effectively run between the tackles, which Texas may need depending on C.J. Baxter's health in 2025. The Longhorns have been doing an excellent job this cycle of recruiting players for the future, specifically at positions where the team could lose guys earlier than expected (i.e., Wisner to the 2026 NFL Draft, Baxter's health risks).

Cooper is undoubtedly one of the best all-around backs in the 2026 recruiting class, and he'll choose between Texas, Georgia, Florida State, Miami, and Ohio State tonight at his commitment ceremony.

His pledge would definitely bump up Texas' recruiting ranking a couple of spots, possibly even ahead of Alabama at No.5.