2026 Derrek Cooper 5* RB/ATH from Chaminade Commits to Texas

[Calinative]

Lotta people here wanted this, FWIW.

Why wouldn't we? It should absolutely be the strategy going forward to recruit nationally far more. The local guys that want to get on board early (or late for more developmental) is great. These guys that want to go anywhere but here? Move on.
I would say we probalby won't have as much success in like Mississippi as like Chicago/Houston/LA/ or other major metros across the country... But a broad net seems far better strategy, than having to continuously deal with these top South Florida guys that hate us or we constantly have political drama about. Again if its a guy that isn't playing games, sure. But when its a guy that committed to UGA, pushes his commitment back for a school thats been talking to him for 2 days... yeah I'm out on him...

 

[Calinative]

Some schools/ fans want to compete for national championship titles. Some schools/ fans want to compete for an ACC championship appearance. It's all about perspective.

Some don't expect to go from 20 years of sucking **** to a national championship overnight without winning a conference championship first or at least in the process...

 

[MedleyCane]

Can't win them all (recruiting battles).
Lou Saban got this program started in the upward trajectory, massively upgrading the roster with players he had no business landing, and yet he swung and missed on many local players.
Same with Schnellenberger who swung for the fences and lost a bunch of local talents to Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Pitt and the 2 florida schools. Many notable names too such as Jessie Bendross, William Roberts, Evan Cooper, Randy Dixon, Buster Rhymes, Lomas Brown, Dennis McKinnon, Jesse Hester, Jeff ***an, Stefan Humphries to name a few.
Same with JJ and later Butch. Who wouldn't want to have had Derrick Thomas, Greg Jackson, Michael Timpson and the others under Butch as HC who bailed from UM's grasp when we went under probation.
Win some, lose,
It is what it is.
We do need to win more, and stop it with the head-scratching defeats.
Kids do notice, especially ones from soFla, which is a bandwagon region.

Anyways, back to summer stuff.

 

[canemachine]

Can't win them all (recruiting battles).
Lou Saban got this program started in the upward trajectory, massively upgrading the roster with players he had no business landing, and yet he swung and missed on local players.
Same with Schnellenberger who swung for the fences and lost a bunch of local talents to Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Pitt and the 2 florida schools. Many notable names too such as Jessie Bendross, William Roberts, Evan Cooper, Randy Dixon, Buster Rhymes, Lomas Brown, Dennis McKinnon, Jesse Hester, Jeff ***an, Stefan Humphries to name a few.
Same with JJ and later Butch. Who wouldn't want to have had Derrick Thomas, Greg Jackson, Michael Timpson and the others who bailed from UM's grasp when we went under probation.
Win some, lose,
It is what it is.
We do need to win more, and stop it with the head-scratcher defeats.
Kids do notice, especially ones from soFla, which is a bandwagon region.

Anyways, back to summer stuff.

This. We play in what's considered a second rate conference and haven't won most of these kids lives. Anyone recruiting for us will have an uphill battle which is why getting out of the ACC and winning as much as possible before then is paramount. Look at Clemson's recruiting and they've actually had success when these kids were alive

 

[OrangeBowlMagic]

And others move the goalposts back each year to a 9 win season being good

It depends. There are 7 million ways the season plays out, you have to analyze the whole thing.

On the surface, 9 wins = not good.

But what if we lose to ND by 1 on a FG late, we lose to UiF by 2 on a missed chip shot FG, we go 7-1 in the ACC with one loss being to Pitt in a one-score game, we go to Charlotte, beat Clemson by 10 who is ranked #2 at the time, win the ACC, get a first-round bye, win the quarterfinal playoff game, and lose to Alabama in an instant classic in the semifinals?

Is that not a successful season? Of course it is. 9-3 regular season, 11-4 final record, ACC Champions and made it to the "final four". It's not what we want...we want a natty and that's the end of it. But after how truly average this program has been and how we literally didn't even try to be competitive for 20 years, yes, that's a very good season. That's why all the projection stuff is kind of silly, and I'll be the first to say I participate in it. It's how we get through the off-season. But the season is not 100.0% lead-pipe definitively defined by number of regular season wins and the determination is not made at the end of the regular season.

 

[hoops156]

i believe gaby already kinda said it all - we were on him big time for 2 years plus and was a massive effort by us to land him. texas barely got in a month ago and got his commitment. we dropped the ball. you want the kid for 2 years as a priority but when push came to shove, you let another team beat you out for him? thats another season where the best kid at chaminade goes elsewhere.

 

[hoops156]

It depends. There are 7 million ways the season plays out, you have to analyze the whole thing.

On the surface, 9 wins = not good.

But what if we lose to ND by 1 on a FG late, we lose to UiF by 2 on a missed chip shot FG, we go 7-1 in the ACC with one loss being to Pitt in a one-score game, we go to Charlotte, beat Clemson by 10 who is ranked #2 at the time, win the ACC, get a first-round bye, win the quarterfinal playoff game, and lose to Alabama in an instant classic in the semifinals?

Is that not a successful season? Of course it is. 9-3 regular season, 11-4 final record, ACC Champions and made it to the "final four". It's not what we want...we want a natty and that's the end of it. But after how truly average this program has been and how we literally didn't even try to be competitive for 20 years, yes, that's a very good season. That's why all the projection stuff is kind of silly, and I'll be the first to say I participate in it. It's how we get through the off-season. But the season is not 100.0% lead-pipe definitively defined by number of regular season wins and the determination is not made at the end of the regular season.

if youre not winning 10 games in this conference, **** out of here thats reg season. 9-3 is not good enough and will never be good enough esp for a 10 mill a year coach

 

[Alex_Dynamix]

i believe gaby already kinda said it all - we were on him big time for 2 years plus and was a massive effort by us to land him. texas barely got in a month ago and got his commitment. we dropped the ball. you want the kid for 2 years as a priority but when push came to shove, you let another team beat you out for him? thats another season where the best kid at chaminade goes elsewhere.

All that tells me is Texas showed him the money. its very simple for Miami, up the bag and he'll come here

 

[DC3]

It depends. There are 7 million ways the season plays out, you have to analyze the whole thing.

On the surface, 9 wins = not good.

But what if we lose to ND by 1 on a FG late, we lose to UiF by 2 on a missed chip shot FG, we go 7-1 in the ACC with one loss being to Pitt in a one-score game, we go to Charlotte, beat Clemson by 10 who is ranked #2 at the time, win the ACC, get a first-round bye, win the quarterfinal playoff game, and lose to Alabama in an instant classic in the semifinals?

Is that not a successful season? Of course it is. 9-3 regular season, 11-4 final record, ACC Champions and made it to the "final four". It's not what we want...we want a natty and that's the end of it. But after how truly average this program has been and how we literally didn't even try to be competitive for 20 years, yes, that's a very good season. That's why all the projection stuff is kind of silly, and I'll be the first to say I participate in it. It's how we get through the off-season. But the season is not 100.0% lead-pipe definitively defined by number of regular season wins and the determination is not made at the end of the regular season.

I would take that season in a heartbeat. I don't think conference champs get byes but i could be wrong. Thought seeding was just on ranking

 

[hoops156]

All that tells me is Texas showed him the money. its very simple for Miami, up the bag and he'll come here

so why didnt they up the bag? if you put 2 years into the kid but arent willing to do what it takes, I dont want hear excuses. we got beat out by a team who showed up a month ago. excuses are for losers.

 

[hoops156]

I would take that season in a heartbeat. I don't think conference champs get byes but i could be wrong. Thought seeding was just on ranking

they dont. seeding is based on ranking. winning the conf just gets you a spot in the playoff

 

[DC3]

they dont. seeding is based on ranking. winning the conf just gets you a spot in the playoff

That's what i assumed but wanted to make sure.

 

[RVACane]

Tell me the difference between these two things:

"This is concerning considering he’s been Mario’s priority for years now. Texas came out of no where and dropped a crazy bag because they whiffed on others. We also fumbled this and other major prospects it's a bad look on the entire staff."

"This is concerning considering he’s been Mario’s priority for years now. Texas came out of no where and dropped a crazy bag because they whiffed on others. We also fumbled in ways i can’t share here but this and other major prospects are a bad look on the entire staff."

Anybody with a 1/4 of a brain can deduce that something went terribly wrong with this and several other recruits. If he was being pressed by multiple people to share more info yet he declines with "I know but I can't share" that is understandable. But to hint that he knows more when no one asked is a way to get under people's skin.

That's all I'm saying. I have 0 problems with @Hurracanes. None. Again, I appreciate his info and his opinion. I'm simply offering an opinion that may help keep people off his back. If he chooses to take it, cool. If he tells me to go **** myself? That's cool too. Just try to understand that being purposefully cryptic is tiring when most people know nothing except what is shared here and that is compounded when we go on losing streaks for guys that we have been told were **** near "locks."

I understand the situation for all. He’s not doing it to be a ****. Some people with literally zero to little history, or some who like to troll, have occasionally come on here and done that routine, and it’s annoying in those instances for many of us, you and I included. He just can’t give up certain confidential things shared by his source(s) that can be problematic. He wanted to share something generally I think to help the board along but needed to limit it so he said what he said and it seemed to some like another poster doing the “ha ha I know something you don’t” thing but I get his situation.

 

[Warrior808]

Tell me the difference between these two things:

"This is concerning considering he’s been Mario’s priority for years now. Texas came out of no where and dropped a crazy bag because they whiffed on others. We also fumbled this and other major prospects it's a bad look on the entire staff."

"This is concerning considering he’s been Mario’s priority for years now. Texas came out of no where and dropped a crazy bag because they whiffed on others. We also fumbled in ways i can’t share here but this and other major prospects are a bad look on the entire staff."

Anybody with a 1/4 of a brain can deduce that something went terribly wrong with this and several other recruits. If he was being pressed by multiple people to share more info yet he declines with "I know but I can't share" that is understandable. But to hint that he knows more when no one asked is a way to get under people's skin.

That's all I'm saying. I have 0 problems with @Hurracanes. None. Again, I appreciate his info and his opinion. I'm simply offering an opinion that may help keep people off his back. If he chooses to take it, cool. If he tells me to go **** myself? That's cool too. Just try to understand that being purposefully cryptic is tiring when most people know nothing except what is shared here and that is compounded when we go on losing streaks for guys that we have been told were **** near "locks."

And I am saying that TO ME, its better to have cryptic than nothing. Thats my opinion, I dont really care about yours so yeah, go **** yourself.

 

[OrangeBowlMagic]

I would take that season in a heartbeat. I don't think conference champs get byes but i could be wrong. Thought seeding was just on ranking

I didn’t realize they changed it but if they did that’s a good thing.

 

[cway313]

I understand the situation for all. He’s not doing it to be a ****. Some people with literally zero to little history, or some who like to troll, have occasionally come on here and done that routine, and it’s annoying in those instances for many of us, you and I included. He just can’t give up certain confidential things shared by his source(s) that can be problematic. He wanted to share something generally I think to help the board along but needed to limit it so he said what he said and it seemed to some like another poster doing the “ha ha I know something you don’t” thing but I get his situation.

It's the only thing he does. It's ok to say nothing, and I think that is the point being made. This isn't a one off.

 

[JamesQuall]

And I am saying that TO ME, its better to have cryptic than nothing. Thats my opinion, I dont really care about yours so yeah, go **** yourself.

 

[skeeter]

. But to hint that he knows more when no one asked is a way to get under people's skin.

That's all I'm saying. I have 0 problems with @Hurracanes. None. Again, I appreciate his info and his opinion. I'm simply offering an opinion that may help keep people off his back. If he chooses to take it, cool. If he tells me to go **** myself? That's cool too. Just try to understand that being purposefully cryptic is tiring when most people know nothing except what is shared here and that is compounded when we go on losing streaks for guys that we have been told were **** near "locks."

Agree

It's so corny.

 

[AlexCane]

I'm not shedding tears over a RB. QBs, yes. WRs, yes. Dlinemen, sure. But RBs, nah. Short of this guy being an AP or Fournette or Reggie Bush, with all these teams (including us) moving to heavy 1a and 1b rotations, RBs are less valuable than they were years ago. I still hope we can pull him but not the loss that 133 pages suggests IMO.

 

[pacusmc]

This is concerning considering he’s been Mario’s priority for years now. Texas came out of no where and dropped a crazy bag because they whiffed on others. We also fumbled in ways i can’t share here but this and other major prospects are a bad look on the entire staff.

Did the issue your are talking about only hurt with cooper? Or did have a hand in other kids from sofla this cycle?

And whether it caused a problem with other kids besides cooper, is it going to hurt for any remaining targets in this or future classes?

Is the damage irreparable?
Has it been addressed and fixed or is this going to be a problem going forward?

And if it hasn’t or is going to be difficult to fix; is it going to be used against us by other schools for kids out of state?

I mean, Mario is a recruiter and he pays a lot of attention to detail. I can’t imagine a school just coming in here and taking a kid he’s been focused on since 8th grade just because of a small detail. Our squad looks the part. The recruiting is on point. We’ve beaten Clemson and uf. This doesn’t appear to be an on field or playoff or draft issue to me.

This smells like something that’s gonna be a huge problem going forward.