Five-star running back recruit Derrek Cooper seemed to suggest Ohio State may be losing the chase to land his services to a pair of major programs from down South.
The Buckeyes are going to have a very tough time trying to repeat. Or even get back to the college football playoffs in 2025. Going back-to-back in college sports is always extremely hard due to the roster turnover. And OSU had 31 seniors on their national title-winning roster. They must do all they can to replenish the depth chart to maintain the program's high standard this year and beyond.
That is why Florida high school star Derrek Cooper has been a top recruiting target. Especially after losing Quinshon Judkins early in the NFL Draft. However, the recruit revealed recently that the program may be falling behind Miami and Georgia in the sweepstakes for his talents.
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"The ones who've been contacting me mostly are Miami and Georgia," Cooper told On3 this week. "They've just done a great job texting me, keeping in contact. All the other schools have done a great job, too. But ever since the beginning, it's been those two schools."
The Chaminade-Madonna standout is ranked in ESPN's top 10 for the class of 2026. He is the only player in that group yet to have committed to a program. So obviously, he is still willing to be swayed before he makes his final decision on July 20.
However, his recent comments really seem to suggest it may be down to Miami or Georgia, and not Ohio State. Nevertheless, this recruiting period has had some notable wins for the program, including local four-star running back Favour Akih from Delaware Hayes High School.
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