Miami will host one of its highest-priority 2026 recruits on Friday night. Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna four-star running back and Texas commit Derrek Cooper plans to be at Hard Rock Stadium for No. 2 Miami's game against Louisville. The 6-0, 210-pound Cooper is No. 38 overall and the No. 2 running back in the Rivals Industry Ranking.
Cooper committed to Texas on July 20 over finalists that included Miami and Georgia. He was on the sideline in Dallas last weekend as Texas beat then-No. 6 Oklahoma in a 23–6 win that energized UT's season. Even so, Miami and HC Mario Cristobal have remained persistent and is pushing to get him on campus again.
From a scouting standpoint, Cooper checks the boxes. He's got good size that would allow him to play on Sundays — a 10.77 in the 100 meters — and has produced against elite South Florida competition. As a junior in 2024 he logged 905 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns for Chaminade-Madonna, part of a two-way profile that also saw him contribute on defense.
Friday gives Miami an opportunity to impress. The Hurricanes (5–0) host Louisville at 7 p.m. ET in a nationally televised game, and junior tailback Mark Fletcher Jr. has opened 2025 as the team's leading rusher with 428 yards and five touchdowns on 78 carries (5.5 yards per rush).
Texas remains a formidable opponent despite some slippage in their play so far this season. Since Cooper's July pledge, national services have continued to rate him among the cycle's premier backs — ESPN lists him as the No. 1 running back in 2026 — and the Longhorns' win over Oklahoma helped their case on the field. Still, getting blue-chip recruits back on campus is the first critical first step for flips, and Miami has created that window this week against Louisville.