One of Georgia football's most important targets the rest of the 2026 recruiting cycle is five-star running back Derrek Cooper. Cooper originally had his commitment scheduled for July 12, and after announcing that date he was predicted to commit to Georgia. But he has since cancelled that commitment date as he is unsure of when he will commit now.
This sudden change of plans could be a serious problem for UGA because who knows if they still lead for Cooper or not. But a recent conversation Cooper had with Dawg Nation's Jeff Sentell gives Georgia fans some reasons to still be hopeful.
Georgia still stands a good chance with 5-star RB
The first thing Cooper shared is that his finalists consist of Georgia, Ohio State, Mimai (FL), Florida State and Texas. This is some serious competition for Georgia as they look to close this recruitment out, but SEC rival Alabama is one team that is missing who had been pursuing Cooper aggressively. So the lack of Alabama being on this list makes Georgia's life a little easier.
Cooper then went on to discuss how important relationships are to him and how that will be a key factor when he makes his final decision.
“I’ve built an amazing relationship with [running backs] Coach [Josh] Crawford and Coach [Kirby] Smart,” Cooper shared. “Just everybody there. Everybody there. It feels like family there, you know? It is great. They always stay in contact with me. Check up on me. Make sure I’m good.”
But the biggest reason why Georgia fans should be hopeful is because of the simple message Kirby Smart gave him the last time Cooper was in Athens on a visit.
“We want you bad. "We’re going to do whatever it takes to get you.”
Hopefully this is true, because an athlete like Cooper is someone Georgia could desperately use in Athens.