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WATCH: Georgia staff surprises elite RB Derrek Cooper for his birthday

On3 imageby:Jake Rowe•03/27/25•

JakeMRowe

Derrek Cooper Georgia

Chaminade Madonna (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) running back Derrek Cooper is celebrating his 17th birthday on Thursday. He also happens to be on the final day of a multi-day visit to the University of Georgia. The Bulldog staff didn’t waste an opportunity to make the talented playmaker feel special as they offered up a surprise celebration.

The Georgia support staff presented a cake to Cooper, one that had both a UGA helmet and one from Chaminade Madonna. His mother filmed the early part of the birthday celebration inside the Bulldogs’ football facility.

“Georgia is a great school that puts running backs in the league and develops a lot of players,” Cooper told On3’s Chad Simmons before the visit. “That can really be the same for Alabama, Texas and Ohio State. All four are top programs, they all recruit me hard and it will be great to spend more time with the coaches at each school.”

Cooper, who was committed to Georgia for a couple of days earlier in the process. already has plans to be back in Athens. He has an official visit set for UGA on June 13. Miami, Auburn, Florida State, Ohio State, and Alabama are also in the mix for the talented running back. He’s also considered a top safety prospect if he decides to play on the defensive side of the ball.

He plans to visit Miami on May 30 and Alabama on June 6, right before the visit to Georgia. After he takes the trip to Athens, Cooper will visit Penn State on June 17 and Ohio State on June 20.

At 6-foot-1 210 pounds, Cooper is the nation’ No. 32 overall prospect and No. 3 running back per the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that includes all four websites that publish recruiting rankings. He’s the No. 2 player in Florida.

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