Many college football fans have trust issues with recruiting rankings, and the fall of Cooper Hackett is a perfect example why.
Hackett flipped from Texas Tech to the Oklahoma Sooners in September as a consensus five-star 2027 offensive tackle out of Fort Gibson High School (OK). However, less than a year later, 247Sports has since erased Hackett's fifth star and he most recently tumbled a staggering 74 spots in the outlet's newest recruiting rankings that were released this week.
At some point, scouts were clearly off about Hackett, and it's most likely recently. And unfortunately for Hackett, he won't get a chance before the early signing period in December to climb back up those rankings because he just underwent a surgery that will sideline him for his entire senior season. Although unfair, that injury also seems to be the only logical explanation for Hackett's recent slip in recruiting rankings.
247Sports drops Cooper Hackett even more after losing 5-star honor
Hackett, listed at 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds, came in at No. 115 in 247Sports' latest rankings and was also ranked as the No. 17 offensive tackle in the 2027 class. Last April, the same outlet had him as the No. 9 overall prospect in the country regardless of position and best OT.
He then dropped 20 spots to No. 29 in October after pledging to the Sooners before eventually plummeting again in March to No. 41, which knocked him out of five-star status. He then just experienced his biggest downfall in 247Sports' latest update.
With that, Rivals has still held rather steady on Hackett, which makes him a prospect with about more disparity than any other in the class. That recruiting service still has Hackett as a five-star prospect, but just barely as the No. 32 player in the class. Only the top 32 players get five stars. He's also the No. 2 offensive tackle and still the top player in the state, while 247Sports has him below fellow OU commits Gabriel Osborne Jr. and Kaeden Penny.
Read more: 247Sports' latest update just made Gabriel Osborne Jr. the best 2027 commit Oklahoma has
However, because of that injury and already being on the edge, Hackett will likely soon lose five-star status from all recruiting services.
Hackett, however, has everything a program wants in a recruiting gem.. He's a freak athlete at 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds who also excels on the basketball court. He also has a great head on his shoulders. Then, once he gets to OU, he'll not only learn under veteran offensive line coaches Bill Bedenbaugh and Kevin Wilson, but also get to share a room with former five-star Michael Fasusi and go up against one of the best defensive lines in college football everyday at practice.
The point of those five stars is to project future first-round NFL Draft picks and are really only good for recruiting bragging rights. This year, six of the 32 first-round picks were former five-star recruits.
Now, Hackett will have three to four years with the Sooners to earn the status that really matters while disproving how scouts labeled him as a high school senior.
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