5-star newcomer Derrek Cooper is impressing Steve Sarkisian during the fall.
As has been the case for a number of years recently, the Texas Longhorns are in good hands when it comes to the backfield.
Texas will present a committee of top transfers Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers in 2026, a duo that will compete for starting snaps but offer enough versatility to be integral parts of the offense individually for Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning throughout the season.
But beyond this year, the Longhorns have true freshman Derrek Cooper waiting in the wings.
The former 5-star prospect has impressed his head coach during his fall introduction to the program.
"I really love D-Coop. He’s a hard-charging guy," Sarkisian said this week. "He plays physical. He plays fast. He’s a very natural football player."
Cooper was ranked the No. 1 overall running back in the 2026 high school class by ESPN. The Miami native took home his player of the year honors in his county, competed in the Under Armour All-American showcase as a junior, and rushed for 963 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior at Chaminade Madonna Prep.
When Sarkisian says "natural football player," Cooper proves that testament with his defensive skills from high school, where he also completed 46 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and four sacks last year.
That will serve Cooper tremendously as he likely takes on a gunner role on special teams during his freshman season in Austin.
"He played defense, he played offense, whatever was needed to be successful, so the game comes pretty naturally to him," Sarkisian explained.
Cooper, at 6-1 212 pounds, brings an SEC-ready physique into his first full season. That, paired with his intellect and determination to get better, puts pressure on Sarkisian to potentially get him touches as soon as this season.
"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," the coach said.
"But as impressive, I think, has been his knowledge and willingness to learn. ... He’s done a really good job of, you know, ... learning from Raleek and Hollywood and Ryan Niblett, but at the same time, not taking a back seat, pushing and going forward, and trying to earn his opportunities."
Cooper isn't completely new to the program. He enrolled at Texas early, joining the team last spring as soon as he completed his senior high school season.
Even early on, Sarkisian expressed interest in the prospect because of traits in Cooper reminding him of legendary Longhorns rushers.
"They've talked about his skill set and compared his build to Bijan Robinson," Derrek's father, Corey Cooper, told ESPN in March. "They don't have a running back like Derrek right now. They feel like they can do a lot with him. He wants to run, he wants to be able to catch the ball out of the backfield, he wants to line up at wide receiver. He wants to show he has all the skills to play at the next level, and they're going to let him do that at Texas."
"What I like about him is I've never felt our practice field is too big for him," Sarkisian said last season. "He takes the ball; he runs. When he has an opportunity to make plays in the passing game, he does. He's a really versatile player that way."
With the NCAA's new five-year eligibility rules, which essentially eliminate the need to worry about game limits for potential redshirts, we're likely to see that versatility and impact from Cooper in the burnt orange at some point in 2026.
