Nation’s No. 2 RB Predicted to Commit to College Football’s Biggest Spender originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The month of July has already seen some high-profile recruits come off the board, and in the coming days another top recruit will announce his commitment.
Four-star running back Derek Cooper, who hails from Florida powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna Prep, will be making his announcement on July 20. Accumulating nearly 40 offers, Cooper has some of the biggest programs in the country hoping he’ll commit to their program.
However, he is down to just five programs in Miami, Florida State, Ohio State Georgia and Texas. Although the Hurricanes were tabbed as the favorites back in March, four insiders at Rivals have inserted predictions in favor of another program.
Georgia insider Jeremy Johnson, was the latest to put in a prediction in favor of the Texas Longhorns, joining Texas insiders Justin Wells and Eric Nahlin and Miami insider Stephen Wagner.
This would be Texas’ fourth commitment since last Friday, adding on to what has been a tremendous month of July. The Longhorns landed four-star defensive back Samari Matthews last week, along with five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson and five-star defensive lineman James Johnson this week. All of which were moves that came around the time that anonymous coaches around college football deemed Texas as the biggest spenders in the sport.
If the Longhorns land Cooper, they are getting a versatile athlete who rushed 124 times for 905 yards (9.3 YPC) and 13 touchdowns last season. He will add to a running back room that has been pumping out pros left and right.
Assuming the predictions are right, Texas may end up being the hottest team on the trail by the end of the month.
Related: Cooper Manning Hilariously Trolled for Arch Manning’s ‘Frat Boy’ Outfit
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.