SEC Powerhouse is ‘Buzzing’ for Nation’s No. 1 RB

SEC Powerhouse is ‘Buzzing’ for Nation’s No. 1 RB originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns are putting together an impressive Class of 2026 recruiting haul. That group is currently missing a running back, however, and they’re hoping Derrek Cooper, Rivals’ No. 1 player at his position, can fill that void.

Inside Texas’ Justin Wells spoke to Rivals’ Josh Newberg on Monday to give an update on Cooper’s interest in Sarkisian’s program, which is currently on fire on the recruiting trail.

“The Texas buzz is real,” Wells said. “They have prioritized this guy. They came with a big offer and a big opportunity to play early in Austin. I think Cooper is strongly considering it.”

Wells said Cooper’s recruitment picked up in Austin in the middle of last month, shortly after the Longhorns’ coaching staff learned KJ Edwards was probably headed to Texas A&M.

“Derrek Cooper has always been near the top of the board of most college programs in the country,” Wells said. “But Texas, you know, they had a handful of guys that they were in on.”

Wells added that having a new running backs coach, Chad Scott, “kind of muddied the waters a little bit with the guys that Tashard Choice had built in with.” Scott, who joined Sarkisian’s staff in February after serving as West Virginia’s offensive coordinator and running backs coach, convinced Cooper to visit Texas in April.

“(Cooper) absolutely loved it, enough so that at the end of his official visits in June, he decided he wanted to cancel his announcement and he wanted to see Texas a little bit more closely,” Wells said.

According to 247Sports, Cooper rushed for 905 yards and 13 touchdowns on 124 carries as a junior for Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Fla.) last season.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.