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Posted

we need to take a step back on the dawg hate for a second

they are not gump

they have instantly become our #2

irl they are more like us than anyone in the sec other than florida

sure, they've been bagging it for 50 years and are not accustomed to anyone showing them up, including gump (see: gentleman's agreement)

we don't need to point out they've been selectively bagging top Texas talent for decades

let's pull our chips in and avoid bulletin board material

we don't owe them a goddamn explanation

but we haven't conquered them yet

50 days to tosu

/parcells

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Posted (edited)
17 hours ago, sith_horn said:

I only watched the top hudl videos for each at the links you posted, but I saw Cooper breaking more tackles. Crowell seems to have really excellent vision and cutting ability. Tends to break outside more often than not. He's better at seeking open grass as it were. The tackles I saw him breaking were arm tackles. To sum it up, he's better at tackle avoidance based on what I saw.

Cooper was run up the middle much more in his highlights so it's a little murky interpreting the differences, but he's able to churn yards and move a pile after contact. He's also more of a North / South RB. Crowell uses every bit of the field to get loose. There also just seemed to be more traffic for Cooper to navigate through in his highlights. Not sure if the types of scheme and play calls had anything to do with that. It may be that Crowell's running style opens the way better due to his shiftiness.

I'd be hard pressed to say which is better given the projection to the next level, but I think Crowell has better vision and composure as of now, and Cooper may need some coaching and film study to grow in that regard. But he is excellent raw material. He also looked good playing both sides of the ball. Focusing on one position should yield better development.

I completely agree. Cooper shows light feet, great contact balance, elite burst (he has that second gear), and that nice lean (he always falls forward). The vision is tough to quantify, especially with a lot of the video taken from the sideline. Its much easier to from the endzone. He is a downhill RB and most of his highlights are runs between the tackles, so I little harder to get an idea on his vision. He is the better football player by far. His special teams and defensive highlights are legit. I have no doubt he could be a D1 Safety. That physicality and overall ability give me optimism for his abilities without the ball (blocking and special teams contributions)

Crowell loves to bounce it outside. That always looks impressive on film, but it is also bad habit most HS RBs have and will have to coached out of him. Its rare for RBs to consistently get away with that in college. Most Rbs will eventually learn to take 2-3 yards, instead of turning it into a negative play. He does appear to have better lateral agility. I like Cooper's burst more. I dont think long speed is much different. 

Edited by Codaxx
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Posted (edited)
24 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

I completely agree. Cooper shows light feet, great contact balance, elite burst (he has that second gear), and that nice lean (he always falls forward). The vision is tough to quantify, especially with a lot of the video taken from the sideline. Its much easier to from the endzone. He is a downhill RB and most of his highlights are runs between the tackles, so I little harder to get an idea on his vision. He is the better football player by far. His special teams and defensive highlights are legit. I have no doubt he could be a D1 Safety. That physicality and overall ability give me optimism for his abilities without the ball (blocking and special teams contributions)

Crowell loves to bounce it outside. That always looks impressive on film, but it is also bad habit most HS RBs have and will have to coached out of him. Its rare for RBs to consistently get away with that in college. Most Rbs will eventually learn to take 2-3 yards, instead of turning it into a negative play. He does appear to have better lateral agility. I like Cooper's burst more. I dont think long speed is much different. 

Cooper breaks more tackles in part because he’s playing in 1A Florida football. Same on his defensive film.

 

 

That said, he looks like a stud athlete and plenty of people who do this for a living in coaching and scouting love the guy.

 

EJ Crowell is 4A Alabama football, as a comparison.

Edited by lilMAC25
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Posted
19 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

I completely agree. Cooper shows light feet, great contact balance, elite burst (he has that second gear), and that nice lean (he always falls forward). The vision is tough to quantify, especially with a lot of the video taken from the sideline. Its much easier to from the endzone. He is a downhill RB and most of his highlights are runs between the tackles, so I little harder to get an idea on his vision. He is the better football player by far. His special teams and defensive highlights are legit. I have no doubt he could be a D1 Safety. That physicality and overall ability give me optimism for his abilities without the ball (blocking and special teams contributions)

Crowell loves to bounce it outside. That always looks impressive on film, but it is also bad habit most HS RBs have and will have to coached out of him. Its rare for RBs to consistently get away with that in college. Most Rbs will eventually learn to take 2-3 yards, instead of turning it into a negative play. He does appear to have better lateral agility. I like Cooper's burst more. I dont think long speed is much different. 

This is so true, you'll see guys like Crowell or Rueben Owens playing like Reggie Bush in their HS tape. Certainly a good thing to show speed and elusiveness, but if going lateral and bouncing outside is your first instinct against Colin Simmons and Ant Hill instead of future fraternity intramural players, you're going to get blown up. Both guys have terrific film and I'm just happy we got one. 

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Posted

Just for shits and giggles, I wanted to see where our class would be with the 3 specialists taken out in the 247 composite. We'd be 2nd (behind Oregon) in average with 93.716. We'd also drop a spot overall to 6th (score of 285.5) with only 18 recruits (3rd lowest total in top 10).

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Posted
9 hours ago, Hagbard Celine said:

we need to take a step back on the dawg hate for a second

they are not gump

they have instantly become our #2

irl they are more like us than anyone in the sec other than florida

sure, they've been bagging it for 50 years and are not accustomed to anyone showing them up, including gump (see: gentleman's agreement)

we don't need to point out they've been selectively bagging top Texas talent for decades

let's pull our chips in and avoid bulletin board material

we don't owe them a goddamn explanation

but we haven't conquered them yet

50 days to tosu

/parcells

Meh, regardless of the win/loss history between us, their fans are entitled pussies. Fuck em. 

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Posted
19 minutes ago, lilMAC25 said:

Cooper breaks more tackles in part because he’s playing in 1A Florida football. Same on his defensive film.

 

 

That said, he looks like a stud athlete and plenty of people who do this for a living in coaching and scouting love the guy.

 

EJ Crowell is 4A Alabama football, as a comparison.

Texas and Florida classifications by enrollment. So according to Google his school has 486 could be 3AD1 in Texas. His school is also larger than Crowell’s based on Jackson’s enrollment numbers pictured. 

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Posted

No. 1 running back Derrek Cooper commits to Texas' 2026 class

Days after landing No. 1 outside linebacker Tyler Atkinson, Texas secured its latest five-star addition Sunday when coveted rusher Derrek Cooper, ESPN's No. 1 running back in the 2026 class, announced his commitment to the Longhorns.

Cooper, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound recruit from Chaminade-Madonna Preparatory School in Hollywood, Florida, is the seventh-ranked prospect in the 2026 ESPN 300. After an unofficial trip to Texas in April, Cooper did not officially visit the program before choosing the Longhorns over finalists Florida State, Georgia, Miami and Ohio State on Sunday night.

Cooper's father told ESPN that the presence of Longhorns running back coach Chad Scott, who replaced former assistant Tashard Choice in February, and the all-purpose role Texas coach Steve Sarkisian laid out for Cooper in the program's offense were leading factors in his son's decision.

"They've talked about his skill set and compared his build to [former UT running back] Bijan Robinson," Corey Cooper told ESPN. "They don't have a running back like Derrek right now. They feel like they can do a lot with him."

Derrek Cooper is the fourth five-star pledge in the Longhorns' 2026 class and continues a summer recruiting tear for the Longhorns, who have added 10 ESPN 300 commits since June 1.

Cooper's commitment comes days after Texas edged Georgia for the pledge of Atkinson -- No. 14 in the 2026 ESPN 300 and the No. 1 prospect in the state of Georgia -- then flipped four-star Bulldogs defensive line commit James Johnson (No. 123 overall) later in the day.

Cooper is the second-highest ranked of six top-100 recruits committed to Sarkisian's incoming class, joining Atkinson, fellow five-star pledges Dia Bell (No. 4) and Richard Wesley (No. 11), and four-stars John Turntine III (No. 43) and Samari Matthews (No. 99).

A gifted two-way star at Chaminade-Madonna Prep, Cooper trails only fellow Texas pledge Bell -- ESPN's No. 1 quarterback in 2026 -- as the second-ranked recruit in Florida this cycle.

Cooper was credited with 124 carries for 905 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior last fall while leading Chaminade-Madonna Prep to a 1A state championship. In 2024, he added 46 total tackles and four sacks on defense, where he was a linebacker and safety.

Cooper will join a potentially crowded running back group next year with as many as five current Texas rushers eligible to return in 2026. However, with elite pass-catching ability out of the backfield, Cooper's versatility could create early opportunities in a Longhorns offense that has routinely found clever ways to use skill position talents under Sarkisian.

"He wants to run, he wants to be able to catch the ball out of the backfield, he wants to line up at wide receiver," Cooper's father said. "He wants to show he has all the skills to play at the next level, and they're going to let him do that at Texas."

Upon Cooper's pledge, defensive end Jake Kreul (No. 22 overall) stands as the last uncommitted player among ESPN's 23 five-star prospects in 2026. Savion Hiter and Davian Groce, ESPN's No. 2 and No. 4 running back prospects, respectively, are the only uncommitted running backs in the 2026 ESPN 300.

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Posted
51 minutes ago, lilMAC25 said:

Cooper breaks more tackles in part because he’s playing in 1A Florida football. Same on his defensive film.

 

 

That said, he looks like a stud athlete and plenty of people who do this for a living in coaching and scouting love the guy.

 

EJ Crowell is 4A Alabama football, as a comparison.

Chamonade Madonna played St John Bosco last year

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, lilMAC25 said:

Cooper breaks more tackles in part because he’s playing in 1A Florida football. Same on his defensive film.

 

 

That said, he looks like a stud athlete and plenty of people who do this for a living in coaching and scouting love the guy.

 

EJ Crowell is 4A Alabama football, as a comparison.

I think that is a bit of a lazy take

St Thomas Aquinas highlights. 11 carries for 134 yards

http://www.hudl.com/v/2Qnd2g

16 carries for 89 vs St Johns Bosco

http://www.hudl.com/v/2QRprz

American Heritage- 12 for 60 yards

http://www.hudl.com/v/2Qceh1

that is some legit competition. keep in mind he is playing both ways in these games. He also only has 5 games of 10 carries or more. 7 games of 5 or less carries. 

Edited by Codaxx
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Posted

Somehow, "if he breaks a tackle he might just go all the way" has a different feel under Sarkisian's offense than it did under the Greg Davis regime.

Here's a treat from the past. Barking Carnival  by Vasherized.

 

Quote

Greg Davis' 15 scripted plays to start each and every game

"Good plays have a script. So do movies. And TV shows, too!," thought Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis as he inhaled fists full of Crunch 'n Munch during the local library's puppet show. It was the one about a dashing knight who saved a pretty princess from a mean, smelly ogre. Greg liked that one. He liked all the puppet shows, really. Especially in the summer. Summer was hot in Texas. But it was always nice and cool inside the library. And the librarians were always so kind to him. They never made fun of his weight. Or his accountant glasses. And they gave him a shiny new bookmark every time he checked out a book! This time, he checked out "Scary Ghost Stories" and got the bookmark with a snowman suntanning at the beach and the words "Reading is cool!" on it. Greg liked that funny snowman.

Usually during the puppet show, Greg just sat politely and clapped when the puppets did funny things. But this time, the puppets gave Greg's brain an idea. If puppets and movie stars followed a script, why not football players? It was a good idea! After the handsome knight slayed the mean old ogre, Greg clapped and cheered with the other kids and went home to work on his new plan...

At least that's how we assume Greg Davis came up with the idea to script his first 15 play calls every game. Of all the scenarios we consider likely, it's the most dignified. Read it again with a glass of single malt and a fine cigar.

You've all seen the script:

1. Horizontal pass for no gain

2. 5 yard stop route on sideline

3. run between tackles on third & long

4. punt

Repeat until first down achieved or third quarter begins, whichever comes first.

Not much I can add to that. 

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Posted
1 hour ago, Hagbard Celine said:

the sugar bowl was nice but in hindsight didn't really do much for the program

 

DM MensaTom

 

 

It did show us we needed a coach who had already gotten past his personal demons, so there's that...

 

 

 

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Posted
1 hour ago, Fondren & Main said:

Cooper sure sounds like Blue but with the ability to hammer people inside.  10.7 ain’t no joke.

Bigger guy who needs a little more runway to reach top speed, but plenty fast once he does...and plenty strong en route.  

Posted
1 hour ago, Codaxx said:

I think that is a bit of a lazy take

St Thomas Aquinas highlights. 11 carries for 134 yards

http://www.hudl.com/v/2Qnd2g

16 carries for 89 vs St Johns Bosco

http://www.hudl.com/v/2QRprz

American Heritage- 12 for 60 yards

http://www.hudl.com/v/2Qceh1

that is some legit competition. keep in mind he is playing both ways in these games. He also only has 5 games of 10 carries or more. 7 games of 5 or less carries. 

Oh, it’s a super lazy take.


good info to know.

 

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Posted
14 minutes ago, texifornia said:

This guy's kid is way better than Kosi Okpala, guys. What are we even doing.

 

aggy has invented the "according to a totally unbiased football dad" ranking system

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Posted
36 minutes ago, Bodacious Bevo said:

FWIW adding Kreul would move us to #3 in the rankings behind USC and UGA

And ... ahead of the farmers.. which is the chef's kiss

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Posted

I do get where the texags are coming from. Has a 5 star RB ever had such an unproductive high school statline? But even with that, his size and 10.7 speed are no damn joke. He could be elite even if he is possibly overrated 

Posted
31 minutes ago, Chooky said:

Have you boycotted punctuation? If so, what are your demands? 

No boycott needed.

His three favorite things are eating his dogs and eschewing commas.

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Posted
38 minutes ago, texifornia said:

This guy's kid is way better than Kosi Okpala, guys. What are we even doing.

GwZVZ_WXcAEPiRM?format=jpg&name=small

Watch out for Katy HS this year. They have a 5’9” white dude that’s a 3 7/8 star LB. 

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Posted
2 minutes ago, Dondrysdale1 said:

1 Edge/DEnd

1 OT

1 LB

1 TE

are these the remaining priorities?

I feel like someone said Bobby/Gerry mentioned one more DT. Which seems like a luxury to me but OK.

Personally, I'd like to see 2 more OL (one of whom is a pure OT), and try to flip an elite WR in addition to your list. Not sure what the plan or needs are at DB (if any).

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