High School

Chaminade-Madonna's Derrek Cooper Commits to Texas

Cooper chose the Longhorns over Florida State, Georgia, Miami, and Ohio State on Sunday night.

Ross Van De Griek

Chaminade-Madonna 5-star running back Derrek Cooper has announced his decision to commit to the University of Texas.
Chaminade-Madonna 5-star running back Derrek Cooper has announced his decision to commit to the University of Texas. / Robson Lopes

The Texas Longhorns made a huge splash on the recruitment trail where they landed another five-star commit for the Class of 2026 on Sunday night.

Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Florida) Five-star senior running back Derrek Cooper announced his commitment to the University of Texas, he announced on 247Sports' YouTube channel.

Cooper chose the Longhorns over Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State, and several others in a ceremony on Sunday night with his family.

Over the past week, the Longhorns have landed the No. 1 linebacker in Tyler Atkinson, out of Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia and landed a flip from four-star defensive lineman James Johnson, out of Miami Northwestern High School.

Cooper is rated as the No. 29 player in the nation, the No. 2 running back, and the No. 2 player in the state of Florida, according to the 247Sports' composite rankings.

Cooper never took an official visit to the University of Texas before his recruitment, but took an official visit to his other three finalists although he did take an unofficial visit to Austin back on April 26 for their spring game.

Texas had struggled in the 2026 running back department following the loss of running backs coach Tashard Choice to the Detroit Lions, with targets KJ Edwards, committing to Texas A&M and Ezavier Crowell committing to Alabama last month.

In 15 games during his junior season at Chaminade-Madonna, Cooper accumulated 905 rushing yards on 124 carries, a 7.3 yards per carry average, with 13 touchdowns. On defense, he had 46 total tackles, four sacks, and an interception.

Cooper is the 21st University of Texas commit for the Class of 2026 as well as the first running back to commit to the Longhorns. He joins American Heritage Plantation's Dia Bell and Miami Northwestern's James Johnson as commits from the state of Florida.

247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins on Cooper: A jack-of-all-trades that some schools view as a running back, while others think the ceiling might be higher as a back-seven defender. Owns a favorable athletic profile for a mid-skill with bright green speed and explosion scores. As a ball carrier, he runs with plenty of tempo and energy as he hits the hole with urgency. Always seems to be spiraling forward with his 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame and will use his core power to bounce off tacklers in tight quarters. Effective on swing/screen passes and has the hands to emerge as more than just a check-down option for a passing attack. On defense, he displays advanced IQ as he’s quick to read and react. Charges downhill with authority and has proven to be a solid open-field tackler. Can get home on the blitz and is also rather competent in both man and zone coverage after playing primarily safety early on in prep career. Should be viewed as one of the more unique evaluations in the class given the position ambiguity, as he could settle in as a bell cow on offense or thrive as a speed-and-space linebacker. Will need a plan and a vision at the next level, but has stamped himself as one of the top overall prospects in the Sunshine State at this stage after impacting games in a variety of different ways.

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Ross Van De Griek
ROSS VAN DE GRIEK

Ross Van De Griek has been a high school sports writer covering the state of Florida since 2021. Ross also has been scouting high school basketball and Grassroots Basketball across the Southeast Region since 2022. Ross has been covering basketball and recruiting for High School on SI since August 2024. He has collaborated with Next Up Sports, Prep Hoops, and On The Radar Hoops throughout his scouting career. You can follow him on X @rossvdg14 or reach him via email rossvdg14@gmail.com for story ideas.

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