A highly-touted freshman cornerback departs, leaving a void in the secondary and raising questions about future opportunities.
The hits just keep on coming for Texas in the Transfer Portal.
On Friday, Chris Hummer of CBS Sports reported that cornerback Kobe Black was entering the portal. Black is the 24th Longhorn to enter the portal this cycle.
Unlike many of the departures, Black had a consistent role on the team. This season, he played in 11 games, recording 15 tackles and a game-sealing interception over arch-rivals Texas A&M.
His performance against the Aggies was seen by many as his breakout for Texas, but barring a change of heart, a potential breakout season will likely occur elsewhere.
In this day and age, it's hard to guess the reasons behind players leaving a program. Money plays a big role in pushing players out, but so does a lack of opportunity. In Black's case, it's probably the latter.
The addition of experienced Rutgers CB Bo Mascoe in this window upped the competition for the outside CB positions. With rising sophomore Kade Phillips expected to take a big leap, and Graceson Littleton potentially moving to the outside, Black's role was now in question.
His absence makes an already youthful Longhorns secondary even younger. It's unclear whether Texas will try to replace Black in the portal, but the back end of its defense will definitely be a main focus for new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp as spring football comes around.
Black's Bumpy Road
Black was a highly-touted recruit in the 2024 recruiting class, receiving offers from many elite programs. The six-foot, 190-pound CB out of Waco, Texas, was a 247 Sports composite five-star and ranked as the fifth-best CB in the class.
Black also visited Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Ohio State, before ultimately deciding to become a Longhorn. His signing was a huge win for Texas' sixth-ranked 2024 recruiting class.
Black was an instant contributor for the Longhorns, playing in all 16 games for Texas in 2024, including its three College Football Playoff contests. He recorded 13 total tackles and one pass breakup in his playing time.
Receiving consistent game time in your true-freshman season is usually a good sign that your role will increase next season, but it never panned out that way for Black. He was stuck behind CBs Malik Muhammad and Jaylon Guilbeau on the depth chart and was limited to opportunities in only certain defensive packages.
Black's fate as a Longhorn is unfortunate, but in this era of college football, it's becoming the new normal.