Texas is already getting a look at what Derrek Cooper can bring to the backfield, and Steve Sarkisian likes what he’s seen.
While transfer backs Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers battle for the top spots on the depth chart, the freshman Cooper has moved into position as the third-string option after a strong start on the Forty Acres.
“I really love D-Coop. He’s a hard-charging guy.
He plays physical. He plays fast.
He’s a very natural football player,” Sarkisian said after Saturday’s scrimmage.
That feel for the game showed up long before Cooper arrived in Austin. A two-way standout at Chaminade-Madonna in Hollywood (Fla.), he played safety and linebacker in high school, and as a junior he put up 46 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. He also blocked two punts on special teams.
“He played defense, he played offense, whatever was needed to to be successful, so the game comes pretty naturally to him,” Sarkisian said.
Cooper came to Texas as an early enrollee in the 2026 recruiting class, arriving in January as a consensus four-star prospect. The 247Sports Composite ranked him No. 109 nationally and the No. 7 running back. Texas landed him in July after missing on several other top targets, and he committed without taking a summer official visit to Austin.
Since arriving on campus, Cooper has had to work through the usual pass-protection learning curve that young running backs face, but he has picked up the offense quickly.
“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. But as impressive, I think, has been his knowledge and willingness to learn. -s he’s done a really good job of of you know again 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,” said Sarkisian.
At 6-foot-1 and 212 pounds, Cooper gives Texas a different kind of runner behind Brown and Smothers - a little more thunder with the ability to still hit the gas and make explosive plays. It’s looking like he’ll get those chances early.
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