The Georgia Bulldogs have lost their third recruiting battle for a five-star to the Texas Longhorns in under a week
Five-star running back recruit Derrek Cooper has committed to the Texas Longhorns over the Georgia Bulldogs, Miami Hurricanes, Ohio State Buckeyes and Florida State Seminoles. Cooper's commitment represents Texas' third major recruiting win over Georgia in the past week. The Longhorns also beat out the Bulldogs for five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson and flipped five-star Georgia defensive line commitment James Johnson.
ESPN ranks Cooper as the No. 7 recruit in the nation and the No. 1 running back. Cooper is ESPN's second-ranked recruit in the class of 2026 in Florida.
Cooper plays high school football for Chaminade Madonna in Hollywood, Florida, which is the same high school as Ohio State superstar receiver Jeremiah Smith, but that connection was not enough to help the Buckeyes land the elite running back. Cooper also strongly considered Miami, but is instead the latest player to commit to the Longhorns in Texas' recent recruiting surge.
Cooper was previously committed to Georgia briefly in June 2024. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound running back is Texas' No. 21 commitment in the class of 2026. The Longhorns now have the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation and the third-best in the SEC behind Texas A&M and Georgia.
Speaking of Georgia, the Bulldogs still have 30 commitments in the class of 2026. Georgia's recruiting class is ranked second in the country and best in the SEC. Georgia has just one commitment at running back in four-star Colquitt County standout Jae Lamar. The Dawgs may still be looking to sign another class of 2026 running back.
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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: 5-star RB Derrek Cooper commits to Texas over Georgia football
Category: General Sports
