Why on earth does this keep happening to the Miami football team like this? It goes without saying, but in-state recruiting is always going to be the top priority for head man Mario Cristobal and his staff, especially when it comes to highly-ranked playmakers.
That's why so many people are bummed that 5-star running back Derrek Cooper has spurned the Canes and others to play for Texas at the next level. On Sunday night, Cooper announced his pledge to the Longhorns, which was unfortunately expected.
This still is surprising, though, as Cooper only took one visit to Texas and it wasn't an official. There's speculation that NIL played a huge role in his call, but that doesn't take away from the fact that yet another local talent is off to play for a different program. This can't continue to be the case for Cristobal and Co.
BREAKING: Elite 2026 RB Derrek Cooper has Committed to Texas, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 20, 2025
The 6’2 210 RB from Fort Lauderdale, FL chose the Longhorns over Miami & Georgia
He’s ranked as the No. 2 RB in the ‘26 Class
“Terry blacks I’m on my way!”https://t.co/99qeVUfHrm pic.twitter.com/z37EOSD89Q
Miami football missing out on Derrek Cooper is quite frustrating for Canes fans
The 6-1, 205-pounder is an electric player for Chaminade-Madonna in Hollywood, Fla., which is about 30 minutes outside of Miami. Throughout his recruitment, Cooper was consistently hearing from the Miami staff and they rolled out the red carpet for him during his OV in late May.
He was on campus several times, with the Canes obviously turning his head and making him feel like a priority. Miami missing out on Cooper comes not long after 5-star wideout Calvin Russell released his finalists and Miami was nowhere to be seen. He eventually ended up committing to the Syracuse Orange.
Obviously, no one has forgotten about Jeremiah Smith signing with Ohio State over Miami. Canes fans everywhere are still praying to the Football Gods that Smith will transfer back home to play for Cristobal, but he has shot down rumors there several times.
Again, in-state recruiting is always going to be key for Cristobal and Miami as a whole, but swinging and missing on guys like Cooper is frustrating. It should be noted that the Canes have been crushing it out on the recruiting trail, holding the No. 10 class in the country per 247Sports. Still, that doesn't mean that the latest news on Cooper isn't disappointing.