Cliffs Notes: The Longhorns picked up a massive commitment on Wednesday in the form of super bluechip cornerback Kobe Black out of Waco Connally.
Rankings: Here's the industry breakdown...
LSR (6.0) High 4 star, No.4 in Texas
Rivals: (6.0) High 4 star, No.37 overall nationally, No.8 in Texas
ESPN: (89) High 4 star, No.20 overall nationally, No.5 in Texas
On3: (93) Low 4-star, No.97 overall nationally, No.21 in Texas
247: (96) High 4 stars, No.51 overall nationally, No.11 in Texas
247 composite: (.9819) High 4 stars, No.41 overall nationally, No.10 in Texas
Notable offers: Oklahoma (6/9 OV), Ohio State (6/16 OV), Alabama, Florida, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas A&M and USC
Evaluation: There's just not much about him that isn't simply sensational. At 6-1, 180 pounds, Black is basically the prototype for the modern day cornerback, although if you watch him as a wide receiver or return man, you might come away thinking his best position is one that allows him to get his hands on the ball. Black suffocates guys on coverage, gets in and out of his cuts/breaks very cleanly, has terrific ball skills and came go get the ball at its high point whether he's on offense or defense. His ability to anticipate a play allows him to make a lot of big plays from the cornerback position, which is another way of telling quarterbacks... be very careful with this guy. Pound for pound, he's as good of a player as there is in the state of Texas.
Adam Gorney on Back this summer "It might be a two-horse race right now (for the nation's No.1 cornerback spot), but I’m still not counting out Bryce West, Kobe Black and Jaylen Mbakwe for that top spot."
Analysis from the Dallas Under Armor Camp earlier in the spring: "Black showed a smooth backpedal that allowed him to quickly burst out of his stance, covering a lot of ground. Black is one of the longer DB prospects in the state this cycle but has a nice lower-body build that could take on more of the physicality of college football. Unfortunately, Black didn't compete in the one-on-ones but did have a solid showing to that point."
Why it matters: He's a super-duper blue chip, who has a very good chance of ending up as a consensus 5-star when the dust settles on this rankings year. He's the kind of prospect that you simply can't have enough of.
Expectations: Guys like this don't sit around waiting for two or three seasons. Black projects as a high-level, multi-year starter, which means that he should be a factor in the defensive backfield for the Longhorns no later than 2025. For my money, he joins Malik Muhammad as the two best cornerbacks that the Longhorns recruited in the last 3 years.
Math: Through the 2019 recruiting year, 13 of the 21 (61.9%) best defensive backs rated by Rivals.com since 2002 have gone on to become drafted NFL players. Nearly 50% of those that were drafted were 1st day NFL Draft picks.
Must See: Junior highlights.
Must See: Senior highlights.
Rankings: Here's the industry breakdown...
LSR (6.0) High 4 star, No.4 in Texas
Rivals: (6.0) High 4 star, No.37 overall nationally, No.8 in Texas
ESPN: (89) High 4 star, No.20 overall nationally, No.5 in Texas
On3: (93) Low 4-star, No.97 overall nationally, No.21 in Texas
247: (96) High 4 stars, No.51 overall nationally, No.11 in Texas
247 composite: (.9819) High 4 stars, No.41 overall nationally, No.10 in Texas
Notable offers: Oklahoma (6/9 OV), Ohio State (6/16 OV), Alabama, Florida, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas A&M and USC
Evaluation: There's just not much about him that isn't simply sensational. At 6-1, 180 pounds, Black is basically the prototype for the modern day cornerback, although if you watch him as a wide receiver or return man, you might come away thinking his best position is one that allows him to get his hands on the ball. Black suffocates guys on coverage, gets in and out of his cuts/breaks very cleanly, has terrific ball skills and came go get the ball at its high point whether he's on offense or defense. His ability to anticipate a play allows him to make a lot of big plays from the cornerback position, which is another way of telling quarterbacks... be very careful with this guy. Pound for pound, he's as good of a player as there is in the state of Texas.
Adam Gorney on Back this summer "It might be a two-horse race right now (for the nation's No.1 cornerback spot), but I’m still not counting out Bryce West, Kobe Black and Jaylen Mbakwe for that top spot."
Analysis from the Dallas Under Armor Camp earlier in the spring: "Black showed a smooth backpedal that allowed him to quickly burst out of his stance, covering a lot of ground. Black is one of the longer DB prospects in the state this cycle but has a nice lower-body build that could take on more of the physicality of college football. Unfortunately, Black didn't compete in the one-on-ones but did have a solid showing to that point."
Why it matters: He's a super-duper blue chip, who has a very good chance of ending up as a consensus 5-star when the dust settles on this rankings year. He's the kind of prospect that you simply can't have enough of.
Expectations: Guys like this don't sit around waiting for two or three seasons. Black projects as a high-level, multi-year starter, which means that he should be a factor in the defensive backfield for the Longhorns no later than 2025. For my money, he joins Malik Muhammad as the two best cornerbacks that the Longhorns recruited in the last 3 years.
Math: Through the 2019 recruiting year, 13 of the 21 (61.9%) best defensive backs rated by Rivals.com since 2002 have gone on to become drafted NFL players. Nearly 50% of those that were drafted were 1st day NFL Draft picks.
Must See: Junior highlights.
Must See: Senior highlights.
