The Texas Longhorns added to their third-ranked recruiting class earlier this month, flipping four-star defensive back Warren Roberson from TCU in a surprise commitment.

By all appearances, the Red Oak High School standout was well on his way to becoming a Horned Frog. He originally committed to TCU on Oct. 31 and even showed up to his signing wearing a purple and black TCU starter jacket.

However, as Roberson announced his decision, he took out a burnt orange hat tucked behind a TCU one and opened the buttons on his jacket, revealing a Texas polo shirt. He then declared that he was flipping his commitment to Texas before signing with the Longhorns during a ceremony at Red Oak High School on Feb. 7.

“It’s Texas; it speaks for itself,” Roberson said in a video posted by the official Texas Football Twitter account.

Despite his comments, his decommitment from TCU was very unexpected given that the Horned Frogs are coming off of their best season in 85 years. According to 247Sports, Roberson reportedly turned down an eleventh hour push from USC and Oklahoma State as recently as earlier this month. 

Roberson is the No. 22 ranked safety in the state of Texas, a position of need for the Longhorns. He will join newcomers Derek Williams Jr., the No. 4 ranked safety prospect in the country, and redshirt junior Jalen Catalon, a prominent safety transfer from Arkansas. Texas looks to turn around a secondary that allowed nearly 250 passing yards per game last season, ranking No. 91 in the country.

In his last two seasons, Roberson totaled 59 tackles, 6 interceptions, 19 pass breakups, two TFL’s, a sack and two defensive touchdowns. However, versatility is what makes Roberson valuable. The 180 pounder played every position in the secondary for Red Oak last season. This gives Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski and the rest of the Longhorns coaching staff flexibility as to where to utilize his unique skill set.

Roberson is more than just a safety, however. In the last two seasons, he has accounted for 55 catches, 1,020 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in the passing game. He was also a weapon as a returner, adding 462 punt return yards, 571 kick return yards and two kickoff return touchdowns. He was named as the 2022 UIL 4-5A First-Team Returner as well as a Second-Team All-District Returner and Wide Receiver in 2021.

The Longhorns are down two longtime return men in D’Shawn Jamison and Roschon Johnson following their NFL Draft declarations, and they also lost sophomore safety JD Coffey to the transfer portal and starting safety Anthony Cook to graduation.

Given Longhorn’s depletion to an already sub-mediocre secondary and the loss of two of the returners on their three deep, Roberson may see the field early in his Texas career. Whether it’s on special teams or wherever Kwiatkowski decides to put him in the secondary, look for Roberson to contribute sooner rather than later.