On3 Industry Ranking four-star CB Kobe Black picks Texas

Texas and cornerbacks coach Terry Joseph continue to bring elite talent to Austin, and now they can add 2024 Waco (Texas) Connally corner Kobe Black to the mix.

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Black, a 6-foot-1, 190-pounder and the No. 4 cornerback in the On3 Industry Ranking, announced his commitment to Texas in a ceremony at Connally High School on Wednesday. He chose the Longhorns over Oregon, Oklahoma State, LSU, and Texas A&M.

Black is rated as a four-star and is the No. 44 overall prospect, the No. 4 cornerback, and the No. 10 player in Texas in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.

Excerpt from the Recruiting Notebook

Black has a lot in common with Malik Muhammad. They’re both the younger and more physically gifted relatives of the 2022 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

Coach Says: Strengths — Adequate height for a CB with a thick-ish build. Muscular tone through core and lower body. Longish arms. Acceleration and straight line speed appear above average. Very good recovery speed. Coaches trust him to play the boundary and frequently in rolled up or pressed. Plays more out of a side shuffle than backpedal (which is fine). Good measured change of direction. Has man and zone highlights. Physical from the snap and establishes his position consistently. Explosive on 50/50 balls and competes in the catch zone. Appears to have soft hands with good catch mechanics. Physical and willing in run support. Will be an early special teams contributor.

Areas for improvement — Gets flat-footed in open field against ball carriers. Might profile as a safety more than a corner but has versatility. Some notably poor open field tackling efforts on opponent film. Would like to see him break down consistently in 1:1 tackling. Eye discipline is poor at times (see La Vega QB HUDL).

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On3 Personal File

Black is the youngest from a family of college-level players. His oldest brother played hoops in junior college, his middle brother, Korie, plays football for Oklahoma State, and his father Keith was at Kansas State under Bill Snyder. His father was roommates with College Football Hall of Fame quarterback Michael Bishop. Black is a multi-sport star on the football field, hardwood in basketball and on the track for the Connally Cadets, where he excels in the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400 relays. In football, he does a little bit of everything for Connally. In 2022, he racked up 337 yards rushing and six touchdowns on the ground. He also had 305 yards receiving and five touchdown grabs. He also had 21 tackles, two interceptions and two tackles for a loss at cornerback – an impressive number, especially since teams would not throw his direction. As a sophomore, Black had 41 tackles and seven pass breakups. Those numbers were solid enough for him to be named the Waco Tribune’s Defensive Newcomer of the Year.