Star Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna running back Cooper commits to Texas over UM, others
Explosive Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna running back Derrek Cooper, considered one of South Florida’s top prospects in the 2026 recruiting class, announced Sunday that he will attend Texas, delivering a blow to the Hurricanes, who had made him a priority.
Cooper, rated by 247 Sports as the sixth-best prospect in Florida, had dozens of offers but narrowed his list of finalists to Georgia, FSU, Ohio State, UM and Texas.
He said he opted for the Longhorns in part because they have sent five running backs to the NFL in the past three years. “The one visit [there] stood out a lot,” he said.
He also plays linebacker but is expected to play running back in college.
Cooper is the second elite South Florida skill position player to bypass UM in recent days; Miami Northwestern wide receiver Calvin Russell — rated the No. 3 player in Florida, the No. 3 receiver overall and the No. 22 prospect in the country — announced a week ago that he will attend Syracuse instead of UM, Michigan, FSU and Oregon.
Cooper, who also runs track, transferred from Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons to Chaminade after the 2023 season. He participated in the Under Armour All-America Game earlier this year and had four carries for 12 yards and one reception for 31 yards.
Last season, he helped Chaminade-Madonna win the state 1A championship, rushing 124 times for 905 yards (9.3 per carry) and 13 touchdowns. He also had nine receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown.
As a linebacker last year, he had 46 tackles (10 for loss), four sacks, four pass breakups, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He also blocked two punts, and MaxPreps named him to the All-American second team among juniors.
247 Sports rates him the No. 3 athlete (non-position designated prospect) in the country and the nation’s 40th-best prospect overall.
247 Sports recruiting analyst Andrew Ivins said the 6-1, 205-pound Cooper is “a jack-of-all-trades that some schools view as a running back while others think the ceiling might be higher as a back-seven defender. Owns a favorable athletic profile for a mid-skill with bright green speed and explosion scores. As a ball carrier, runs with plenty of tempo and energy as he hits the hole with urgency.”
In better news for UM, the Canes on Thursday picked up a commitment from St. Augustine-based Class of 2026 wide receiver Somourian Wingo, who is rated by 247 Sports the No. 24 receiver and the No. 160 player overall.
Wingo — who also considered the Gators, among others — caught 65 passes for 1,040 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. He also plays basketball averaged 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 steals last season.
Wingo is the third receiver in UM’s 2026 class, joining four-star prospect Vance Spafford and three-star prospect Tyran Evans.
UM has one running back committed for 2026 — West Boca Raton running back Javian Mallory, who said he remains committed to the Canes after visiting FSU and Louisville and meeting with Alabama over the past month.
Mallory played in seven games last season and ran for 676 yards (10.1 per carry) and 10 touchdowns.
UM previously pursued Georgia-based running back Jae Lamar, the nation’s No. 11 back, but he committed to the Georgia Bulldogs.
247 Sports ranks UM’s class ninth nationally.
This story was originally published July 20, 2025 at 7:05 PM.
