Texas Longhorns freshman running back Derek Cooper isn’t shying away from the lofty expectations placed on the four-star prospect at Forty Acres — and in an Instagram video on Tuesday, Cooper revealed that he will wear No. 5 this season.
So is the jersey Bijan Robinson will wear for the Longhorns when he wins the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back in 2022. Robinson finished his career in the burnt orange and white ranking fourth in school history in rushing yards (3,410) and total touchdowns (41).
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Robinson was selected eighth overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2023 NFL Draft and has since surpassed Christian McCaffrey and Barry Sanders to become arguably the best running back in the league with the most career yards from scrimmage among players under the age of 24.
Cooper salvaged a crucial running back class for the Corners that was underperforming despite the fact that he didn’t take an official summer visit to the Forty Acres before the Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna product committed to places like Texas, Florida State, Miami and Ohio State.
Cooper signed with head coach Steve Sarkisian early in the program and ended the 2025 cycle as the nation’s No. 108 prospect and No. 7 running back, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, recording 94 carries for 963 yards (10.2 ypc) and 12 touchdowns as a senior.
When Cooper submitted what BON’s Daniel Seahorn had to say about the 6-foot-1, 201-pounder:
Cooper is a rangy linebacker, standing 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds. He was a true three-phase player in high school as a running back on offense as well as a hybrid linebacker/safety and a key cog on special teams that had multiple shutouts on tape.
Cooper is a no-nonsense runner because he’s not one to waste movement behind the line of scrimmage. He hurried downhill, trying to move north and south without much lateral movement. He has great explosiveness when he puts his feet on the ground and is very hard and tough when running behind the pads. Will make arm tackles regularly and has enough mobility and agility to make second and third level defenders miss in space. The ability to BYOB (be your own blocker) when things go wrong in the backfield. Cooper is the type of back who is difficult to take down with a defender because he is a very stubborn runner who will knock a bunch of defenders down the field.
As a receiver, Cooper has good, reliable hands in the backfield and has shown the ability to throw big yards on short passes. He has the speed on tape to punish bad angles and make explosive plays.
I like Cooper’s overall makeup because I think his toughness and willingness as a linebacker complements his running style as a linebacker. He doesn’t shy away from contact, and he gives you a chance any time he touches the ball. Only carried the ball 124 times in 2024, averaging 9.3 yards per carry, so there’s still plenty of tread left on the tires as a runner. The ability to be a bell cow at the next level or be the thunder in someone’s lightning bolt.
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After losing five of its six running backs on the 2025 roster — redshirt freshman James Simon is the lone returner — Texas added Cooper in the 2025 recruiting class along with Georgetown product Jeter Walker, Arizona transfer Lalique Brown and North Carolina transfer Hollywood Smothers via the portal to revamp the position room for new assistant Jabbar Juluk.
Cooper is expected to provide thunder for the Chargers, Browns and Smothers as Sarkisian seeks to develop a more consistent and explosive running game in 2026 to take pressure off star quarterback Archie Manning.
Cooper is the second running back to wear Robinson’s old jersey number, following Quintrevion Wisner who wore it before transferring to Florida State in 2025. In the first two seasons, wide receivers AD Mitchell and Ryan Wingo both wore this number.
