Texas Longhorns DB Surprisingly Ruled Out Against UTSA

The Texas Longhorns are being hit with some interesting roster news ahead of their non-conference finale against UTSA at home on Saturday night.

Texas safety Kobe Black will miss tonight's game against UTSA, per reports from Eric Henry of Horns247.

There's no word on if Black's absence is officially injury related. Fans will have to wait and see what Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has to say about it after the game.

Kobe Black's Absence Comes as a Surprise

Texas Longhorns defensive back Kobe Black (6) against the Clemson Tigers during the CFP National playoff first round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Black's absence comes as a surprise, as he didn't appear to suffer an injury against Ohio State. He was on the field during the final play of the comeback win when Longhorns cornerback Graceson Littleton came up with the game-sealing interception.

Perhaps a potential injury occurred during practice this week, but until we get all of the facts, it's hard to assume anything.

Regardless of the reason, Black's absence is notable for Texas, especially since safety Xavier Filsaime has already missed the first two games of the year due to injury.

Black played cornerback last season before moving to safety. During the first two games of this year, he's posted four total tackles and one pass breakup. He had three tackles in the win over Ohio State.

In his Texas career, Black has tallied 32 total tackles (23 solo), two pass breakups and one interception.

This was highlighted by the game-sealing interception he had in the final moments of Texas' upset win over No. 3 Texas A&M last season.

Black was set to enter the transfer portal this past offseason, per multiple reports, but he elected to return to Texas.

Where Texas Goes From Here

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian looks on before the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Though Black's absence is notable, it gives another members of the Texas secondary a chance to get increased playing time against UTSA before the Longhorns head into the SEC schedule against Tennessee next week.

This means Texas defensive backs like Jonah Williams, Derek Williams Jr., Jordon Johnson-Rubell and Toray Davis among others could play notable snaps on Saturday night. The SEC slate likely won't allow many of Texas' depth pieces to see significant action, barring injury to the starters, so taking advantage of the opportunity in front of them is crucial.

It will be interesting to see what Texas' safety rotation looks like against UTSA with Black sidelined.

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