Sark raves about Texas early enrollee freshman RB Derrek Cooper

[ASFN Admin]

How confident is in-coming freshman running back Derrek Cooper? The Hollywood, Florida native picked No. 5 as his number for his freshman year, Bijan Robinson's old number. An early enrollee, Cooper has already made an impression on Texas coach Steve Sarkisian.

Ranked by many as the No. 1 running back in the 2026 recruiting class, Cooper committed to Texas without taking an official visit to the UT campus. He picked the Longhorns over Florida State, Miami, and Ohio State.

Cooper's father said after the Chaminade-Madonna back committed to Texas they see Derrek in a similar role as Bijan had at UT.

"They've talked about his skill set and compared his build to [former UT running back] Bijan Robinson," Corey Cooper told ESPN. "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."

“We’re impressed with the want-to, the skill set and the teammate he is. He’s a very versatile player.”

Steve Sarkisian on true freshman RB Derrek Cooper. pic.twitter.com/MPIm75WPRW

— Eric C. Henry (@EricCHenry_) March 31, 2026

Sark has been impressed in practice with Cooper's desire, skill-set and the type of teammate he already is.

"What I like about him is, I've never felt our practice field is too big for him," Sarkisian said after practice. "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."

The maturation process for Cooper players doesn't stop at showing off his running ability. He's learning to do the other things expected of a running back in Sarkisian's system.

"He's not perfect," Sarkisian said. "He didn't pick a blitz up in the red area. You know, that's part of being a freshman in practice No. 7. It's the growth at the position. But the skill-set and excited about the mind-set that he possesses. Excited about the want-to attitude, the work ethic. Excited about the teammate. He's a great kid, we're fortunate to have him."

This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Texas coach Sarkisian loves new freshman RB Derrek Cooper this spring

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