ESPN's No. 1 running back picks Texas as Longhorns vault up rankings

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The No. 1 running back, according to ESPN's recruiting rankings, in the 2026 class committed to the Texas Longhorns on Sunday, propelling Texas' class into the top tier of the 2026 team recruiting rankings.

Hollywood, Florida running back Derrek Cooper hosted a live commitment ceremony Sunday afternoon, with hats for Ohio State, Florida State, Georgia, Miami and Texas sitting in front of him. Cooper ultimately chose the Longhorns after a reported back-and-forth battle between UT and UGA.

Cooper's pledge continues Texas' bonafide recruiting momentum this summer. Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns are up to No. 4 in On3's team rankings and No. 5 in 247Sports' rankings.

Texas lost out on some recruits in early July, but rallied with July commitments from On3's top 2026 linebacker, Tyler Atkinson from Grayson High School (Georgia), and On3's top 2026 defensive lineman, James Jonhson from Northwestern High School (Florida).

Sarkisian and the Texas coaching staff will go across the country to bring the top talent to Austin. However, he said this weekend at the Texas High School Coaches Association's convention and coaching school Sunday in San Antonio that he wants to keep additional Texas high school players in the state.

"I wish we could corral it a little bit better than we have, and that's going to be a goal of mine over the next 12 to 24 months," he said. "I don't think it's just the University of Texas. I think it's all the schools involved to make that happen. I think there's a responsibility on our end. I think there's responsibility from the high school coaches to do that, because I think we would all love for the players that play high school football in the state of Texas."