Get to know Texas signee Kobe Black on national signing day
Whether you’re a diehard recruiting fan in need of a refresher or a casual fan in need of only the particulars, this will be the series for you.
[Join Inside Texas today using our National Signing Day sale and choose from two great offers!]
The first national signing day for college football begins December 20 and runs through December 22. This series gives you the chance to familiarize yourself with the next class charged with keeping Texas in a position of national prominence.
To win at a consistently high level means stacking talented class after talented class. The top-five 2024 class does just that following top-five finishes in the 2022 and 2023 classes.
On the first national signing day, Inside Texas will offer profiles of each member of the 2024 signing class. Up next, Kobe Black.
The Player: Kobe Black, CB, Waco (Texas) Connally
The Rating: 95.73 (four-star)
The Ranking: Black is the No. 44 overall prospect, the No. 4 cornerback, and the No. 10 prospect in Texas in the On3 Industry Ranking. On3 ranks Black as the No. 97 overall prospect, the No. 12 cornerback, and the No. 21 prospect in Texas.
The Highlights:
The Recruitment: Kobe understood what the recruiting process looked like after watching older brother Korie and teammate Jelani McDonald go through it. He made his way to a number of different schools throughout the recruitment before taking official visits to Texas, Oklahoma, and Ohio State in June. His final five released in August consisted of LSU, Texas, Ohio State, Oregon, and Texas A&M, but as Black explained during his commitment ceremony he offered the Longhorns a silent around that time. Even though there were flirtations with other visits, plus trips to Stillwater to watch his older brother play, Black held true to his pledge until he revealed his choice in mid-December.
The Projection: Black has a lot in common with Malik Muhammad. They’re both the younger and more physically gifted relatives of the current Oklahoma State starting cornerback tandem. Kobe’s older brother, Korie, is a big cornerback for Oklahoma State, but Kobe has some fluidity and overall quickness his brother lacks. Clocked at 4.25 in the shuttle, Black has the rare change of direction quickness which normally limits someone this tall (6-foot-1) from being able to turn and run with receivers in man coverage. Because of that unique talent, Black could stick at corner and play in the boundary where he could mix in some press coverage and jam up receivers to ruin timing routes. He could also rotate inside to nickel and use his size there without getting exposed in space, but boundary corner would be the first option. Big, physical cornerbacks with the fluidity to flip their hips and run are a precious resource. – Ian Boyd
The Reasoning: “I’ve known since August, and honestly, when I silent committed, I was still looking at my other options, but I stayed locked in. But Texas kept being consistent with me so I had no reason to de-commit.”
The Relationship: “Coach Joseph been on me since Day 1. We kept the relationship going and it got better and better. I love him. Coach Sark is my guy too. He just FaceTimed me yesterday. He calls me a lot actually, for a head coach. We are always talking and catching up. Nothing but love.”
The Enrollment: Black is an early enrollee.
[Subscribe to the brand new Inside Texas YouTube channel!]
The Final Word: Texas sold Black on being a replacement for Ryan Watts at the boundary spot, and Black liked that pitch enough to resist other overtures throughout a lengthy silent commitment.
