Texas Longhorns cornerback Kobe Black will enter the NCAA transfer portal, according to Friday reports.
The 6’2, 199-pounder has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
A late addition to the 2024 recruiting class, Black took summer official visits to Oklahoma and Ohio State in addition to Texas before taking a fall official visit to Texas A&M. The Longhorns were the longtime favorite, however, winning out for the rangy cornerback before the early signing period. Other offers for Black included Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, and USC. Black finished the cycle as a consensus five-star prospect ranked as the No. 34 player overall and the No. 5 cornerback, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
After arriving on the Forty Acres as an early enrollee, Black was a contributor as a freshman, playing in all 16 games, including 110 snaps on defense and 176 snaps on special teams, mostly on the kickoff coverage, kickoff return, and punt return units. Black recorded 13 tackles (10 solo) and one pass broken up.
As a sophomore, Black failed to take the expected step forward, notably struggling in run support and in coverage against Florida when star cornerback Manny Muhammad was out due to injury. Freshman Gators wide receiver took advantage of Black in coverage, scoring two touchdowns, including a 55-yarder, as Black failed to record a tackle, missed a tackle, and graded out at 21.7 in coverage and 30.0 in run defense by Pro Football Focus, both abysmal numbers.
Black dropped almost entirely out of the rotation over the next three games, failing to see the field against Mississippi State before a late-season surge that featured a strong performance against Texas A&M during which Black recorded three tackles, only allowed one catch for four yards, and came up with his first career interception, a game-sealing play.
At the time, the game seemed like it might save Black’s Texas career, but the staff’s pursuit of Rutgers transfer cornerback Bo Mascoe played poorly with Black and his camp as the coaches gave an effective vote of no confidence in Black’s ability to maximize his potential on the Forty Acres.
Black finished the season with 15 tackles (13 solo), one pass broken up, and the interception and will be a coveted player in the portal because of his prototypical height, length, and speed that still give him considerable remaining upside.