Texas at Risk of Losing Nation's No. 2 RB to ACC Powerhouse

Texas at Risk of Losing Nation's No. 2 RB to ACC Powerhouse originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

One of the biggest pieces to the Texas Longhorns' No. 5-ranked 2026 recruiting class is running back Derrek Cooper, who pledged himself to the program on July 20.

With Rivals Industry Rankings placing him as a four-star recruit, the No. 2 running back, the No. 6 player in Florida and the No. 37 player in the nation, Cooper could be a key piece to the Longhorns' future success.

However, in today’s college football landscape, a commitment doesn’t guarantee anything; and one program making a strong push for the running back is Miami.

Miami's Continued Pursuit of Cooper Revealed

The Hurricanes were one of the five finalists to land Cooper's original commitment and according to Stephen Wagner of CaneSport, it's clear they aren't ready to give up.

“Absolutely nothing has changed in the way Miami was pursuing Derrek Cooper," Wagner said in a video posted to the "Rivals" YouTube channel. "He was the No. 1 running back on their board before he committed to Texas. He’s still the No. 1 running back on their board… they’ve absolutely set their sights on is Cooper."

To make matters more concerning for Texas, the interest from Miami isn't one-sided, as Cooper is set to visit the Hurricanes on Aug. 31 for their season opener against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Rivals' Josh Garcia also notes that Miami and Texas are the only schools he has more visits scheduled with, which is "signaling just how critical this race could become over the next four months."

A Potential Flip Would Mean Disaster for Texas

If Miami were successful in their pursuit of flipping Cooper, it would leave the Longhorns and Sarkisian scrambling, as he's the only running back they've landed in this year's cycle.

Available options are slim as well, with the only running backs uncommitted in the top-25 of Rivals Industry Rankings being five-star Savion Hiter (No. 1 RB), four-star TJ Hodges (No. 20 RB).

That puts all the more pressure on Texas to hold onto Cooper as tightly as possible, despite him leaving his options open.

Related: Nation's No. 1 QB Predicted to Commit to SEC Powerhouse

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 12, 2025, where it first appeared.