Five-star RB Derrek Cooper commits to Texas over Miami, others

Steve Sarkisian’s recruiting heater continues in South Florida.

The Texas Longhorns continued their recruiting hot streak on Sunday, adding a commitment at a position of need with the addition of Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna running back Derrek Cooper over the Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs, Miami Hurricanes, and Ohio State Buckeyes.

Cooper was long considered to be a Miami lean coming out of the summer visit season with the hometown Hurricanes looking to add their second five-star player in the class. However, with the Longhorns’ high-profile misses on KJ Edwards and Ezavier Crowell, position coach Chad Scott and the recruiting staff turned up the heat on the elite back to fill one of the major holes in the recruiting class.

The No. 29 player in the country and the No. 2 player in Florida, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Cooper pledges to Texas without yet taking his official visit to Austin, instead opting for an unofficial visit in April and plans to trip to the Forty Acres during the fall. That may prove beneficial later in the cycle, affording Texas the ability to formally host him in Austin closer to Early Signing Day, as teams try to flip him.

At 6’1, 205 pounds, Cooper is a unique mix of power and speed, qualifying for the state track finals in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes as a sophomore. While the Horns are recruiting him as a running back, he has played both ways in both of his varsity seasons, rushing for 905 yards and 13 touchdowns while also chipping in 46 tackles and four sacks to lead Chaminade-Madonna to a 1A state championship as a junior.

Cooper becomes commitment No. 21 for Texas and the fifth top-50 player of the cycle for the Longhorns, six spots ahead of John Turntine, in what is rapidly becoming another elite class for Texas.

The Florida product moves the Longhorns to No. 5 in the 247Sports Composite team rankings with the fewest committed players in that group. Cooper also joins quarterback Dia Bell and defensive lineman James Johnson as top-10 players from the Sunshine State to choose the Longhorns, further establishing the Longhorns’ recruiting inroads there.

Film analysis (by Daniel Seahorn):

Cooper is a big, physical back at his listed 6’1, 205 pounds. He is a true three-phase player at the high school level, being the bell-cow running back offensively, while also being featured as a hybrid linebacker/safety defender and a key cog on special teams with multiple blocked punts on tape.

Cooper is a no-nonsense type of runner, as he isn’t the type who is going to waste motion behind the line of scrimmage. He gets downhill in a hurry and wants to get north and south without a bunch of lateral movement. Possesses a good burst when he sticks his foot in the ground and runs very hard and tough behind his pads. Will run through arm tackles regularly and has the shiftiness and quickness to make second and third-level defenders miss in space. Possesses the ability to BYOB (be your own blocker) when things go south in the backfield. Cooper is the type of back that is tough to bring down by one defender, as he is a very stubborn runner and will push a pile of defenders down the field.

Cooper has good, reliable hands out of the backfield as a receiver on tape and shows the ability to take short passes for large chunks of yardage. He possesses the speed on tape where he can punish bad angles and rip off explosive plays.

I love Cooper’s overall makeup because I think his toughness and willingness as a defender complement his running style as a back. He isn’t going to shy away from contact, and he is going to make you earn it anytime he touches the ball. Only carried the ball 124 times in 2024 and averaged 9.3 yards per carry, so there is still plenty of tread left on the tires as a runner. Has the ability to be a bell-cow back at the next level or be the thunder to someone’s lightning.