The Texas Longhorns added one of the elite three-down backs in the country with the signature of four-star running back Derrek Cooper on Early Signing Day.
During his recruitment, Texas was thought to be on the outside looking in, not locking down one of the summer on-campus visits, with the Sunshine State back taking trips to Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, and Ohio State. However, after Texas missed on a few in-state prospects at the position, buzz began to build in the weeks following that the Longhorns were positioned to land Cooper’s services before ultimately being the pick in July.
Cooper finally made it to campus for an official visit in September for the 55-0 win over Sam Houston State.
The 6’1, 205-pound back aligns with much of what head coach Steve Sarkisian and this offense have seemingly targeted at the running back position in recent classes — he’s a big, physical runner who can find a seam quickly and run downhill, although Chad Scott may work to reform his running form as once he arrives on campus.
The No. 99 player overall and the No. 6 running back, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Cooper is one of two elite Florida talents coming to Austin, alongside the state’s top player and five-star quarterback Dia Bell. The pair, alongside athlete Jermaine Bishop, make a trio of top-level offensive skill talent that could be the next wave of elite offensive players at Texas.
With the departure of Jerrick Gibson and other uncertainty at the running back position, Cooper has an opportunity to make some waves on the depth chart early.