And just like that, Texas Tech lost one of the centerpieces of the 2027 recruiting class when 5-star offensive tackle Cooper Hackett flipped to Oklahoma. No one said recruiting blue-chip prospects would be easy.
Hackett committed to Texas Tech on August 30, choosing the Red Raiders over a host of top programs. The 6-foot-7, 270-pounder is the top-rated player in Oklahoma for the 2027 class.
BREAKING: Five-Star OT Cooper Hackett has Flipped his Commitment from Texas Tech to Oklahoma, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) September 25, 2025
The 6’7 270 OT from Fort Gibson, OK had been Committed to the Red Raiders since August 30th
“I’m home, Boomer Sooner‼️”https://t.co/YnrnmBJK7N pic.twitter.com/Hny7m5uLoU
Oklahoma was always going to be in the picture for Hackett. He is the top player there, and it's not a state that gets a lot of five-star offensive linemen, so this was always going to be a tough recruiting battle. The key was going to be to continue to get Hackett on campus, but he's spent the past two weeks in Norman and that was too much to overcome.
According to reports from On3/Rivals' Steve Wiltfong and others, Hackett took less NIL money to stay home and play for the Sooners.
“I love Coach (Brent) Venables. (Offensive line) Coach (Bill) Bedenbaugh has proven he can get me to the NFL. That’s a big thing," Hackett told Rivals. : really want to play in the SEC. Watching (Michael) Fasusi start against Michigan is also crazy. That’s big time. You don’t get to see a lot of players do that.”
What's next for Tech after losing Hackett?
The 2027 recruiting class currently has two commitments — 4-star edge rusher LaDamion Guyton and 4-star in-state defensive lineman K'Adrian Redmond. Recent reports have top in-state quarterback Kavian Bryant leaning to Tech over Texas, Florida State, Colorado and others.
NEW: Rivals’ @SWiltfong_ and @samspiegs have logged expert predictions for Texas Tech to land elite QB Kavian Bryant🌵
— Rivals (@Rivals) September 25, 2025
Bryant is the No. 1 QB in the 2027 Rivals300.
Read: https://t.co/ofpkDsfDac pic.twitter.com/UXQD89YRaq
Obviously, getting a commitment from Bryant in the next few weeks will definitely soothe the sting of losing out on Hackett. Still, Joey McGuire is going to want to have a big-time player in the fold to build the 2027 offensive line class around sooner than later. After all, the top quarterback in the class is going to need someone to protect him.
Look at this as a nasty bump in the road. It will shake the system for a short period of time, but Tech has a top-25 recruiting class coming in, and the Red Raiders are favored to win the Big XII and make the playoffs. Everything is going to be fine.