Jermaine Roberts commits to the Texas Longhorns

Despite the incredible amount of in-state talent in the 2014 defensive back class, the Texas Longhorns have had to reach beyond the Lone Star State's borders to land their first pledge at the position with the commitment of New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine cornerback Jermaine Roberts, who broke the news on Twitter on Friday afternoon:

Just committed to Texas 🐮🐮🐮

— Jermaine Roberts (@JermaineBlessed) April 12, 2013

Depending upon how one would like to classify the commitment of Roberts' St. Augustine teammate Courtney Garnett, a defensive tackle, the pledge from Roberts is the 14th or 15th of 2014 as the 'Horns close on the Aggies for the top class in the country.

A 5-9, 175-pounder, Roberts is a consensus three-star prospects rated as a four-star recruit by 247Sports and one of the top-20 cornerbacks in the country by the latter service. Prior to his commitment, Roberts held a number of high-profile offers, including invitations to play at Alabama, Florida State, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and UCLA.'

The 'Horns were named the leader for Roberts just days ago, so it was no surprise that Roberts decided to end his recruitment while in Austin on a weekend visit. The Crimson Tide had been named the leader roughly a month ago after a visit, the same day that Roberts had told Hookem.com the the Longhorns were in front in the contest for his services.

The only major complaint with Roberts is that he has less than ideal height for the position, though the success of Quandre Diggs at Texas and the similar success of Tyrann Mathieu at LSU proves that height isn't everything. It may, however, mean that Roberts is more likely to end up playing a boundary corner position rather than the field position that would pit him against taller receivers playing split end.

A dynamic playmaker who scored a number of touchdowns on special teams and registered nine interceptions as a junior, Roberts also took two of those picks back for scores, along with breaking up 13 more passes. In addition, he recovered two fumbles, including one that he also returned for a touchdown.

The kid has a nose for the football. And when he gets the football, he has a nose for the endzone.

Tough, competitive, and with strong top-end and short-area speed, Roberts has all the attributes one could want in a cornerback except for elite height. And despite a frame that will hardly be mistaken for Tony Brown, Roberts has the functional strength to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. In off coverage, he has the fluidity and hips to flip in transition without losing speed.

The Longhorns are emphasizing Louisiana heavily in the 2014 class, so landing Roberts and Garnett are two major steps in ramping up efforts in the Bayou State.