Derrek Cooper's Growth is Becoming a Big Texas Fall Camp Storyline

Fall camp is an excellent opportunity for young players to showcase their skills before the season begins. The Texas Longhorns have one of the deepest rosters in the country, so playing time will be hard to come by.

Texas' high roster retention and talented transfer portal haul have generated plenty of excitement. It's easy to forget the talented freshman class Steve Sarkisian brought in.

One of those players is freshman Derrek Cooper. He continues to show up during fall camp.

Cooper is Earning Praise From Sarkisian

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian looks on. Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In a crowded running back room with Raleek Brown, Hollywood Smothers, Michael Terry III, and several others, Cooper keeps standing out. Sarkisian spoke at length about the freshman.

"I really love D Coop. You know, he's a hard-charging guy. He plays physical, he plays fast," Sarkisian said. "His understanding of the offense has been very impressive for a young player. I think his physicality, the speed in which he plays the game, has been very impressive."

Cooper is a four-star recruit out of Hollywood, Florida. He ran for 1,500 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior. His physical, north-south running style makes him hard to bring down.

Cooper made some impact plays during the first fall camp scrimmage. He'll look to factor in the new-look running game. Of course, Browns and Smothers will dominate the touches in the backfield. They were both starters at Arizona State and NC State, and they'll continue to operate as such this year.

That doesn't mean that Cooper can't find a role on this team. It would be great for his development if he could get on the field consistently. However, as a true freshman, he still has areas to improve.

"I think the area where he had to take the biggest jump was really understanding pass protection. And that's like any young runner," Sarkisian said. "...But as impressive, I think, has been his knowledge and willingness to learn, and you know he's done a really good job of learning from Raleek and Hollywood and Ryan Niblett."

Cooper is taking impressive strides as a freshman. With how talented this roster is, the fact that he's making an immediate impact says a lot about the player Texas is getting.

Of course, fans shouldn't expect Cooper to get significant reps in the early going. But if he continues to impress, the coaching staff will have no choice but to keep playing him.

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