Texas Football: Getting to Know Transfer Wide Receiver Tarik Black

Former Michigan wideout Tarik Black will give Texas football extra height and speed at a position that saw them lose their top two targets to the draft.

On Tuesday, April 28, former Michigan Wolverine wide receiver Tarik Black announced his intention to transfer to the Texas football program via his social media platforms. This is the first transfer portal signee in this class for coach Herman and the Horns after landing the likes of Calvin Anderson, Tre Watson, and Parker Braun over the past two cycles.

This is a big get for the Texas Longhorns football program. It’s the first snag out of the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason for the Longhorns.

Landing this grad transfer also helps the Longhorns at somewhat of a position of need.

Coming out of Cheshire Academy (CT) in the class of 2017, Black was a four-star athlete ranked as the 15th receiver in the country by 247Sports’ composite rankings. He was the number one player in Connecticut holding offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin, among others.

He ultimately committed to the University of Michigan on December 14th, 2016 and enrolled in Ann Arbor just three weeks later.

Black was expected to come in and contribute immediately as the Wolverines had been lacking a number one receiver for quite some time, though an injury riddled career caused him to never reach his full potential.

Black started his first three games of his freshman season snagging 11 balls for 149 yards including a 46 yard touchdown against the University of Florida. His strong early showing had the Michigan faithful excited at the potential of one of their first great receivers of the decade.

Unfortunately in their third game of the season against Air Force, Black broke his left foot and was sidelined for the remainder of the year.

Just a week before the 2018 season Black once again broke his foot, this time it being the right one. He was held out into mid-October where he played the final five games of the regular season and the Wolverines bowl game, though he did not look like the same player.

Black finished the 2018 campaign with just four receptions for 35 yards.

His junior season at Michigan was his most productive as Black finished the campaign with 25 receptions, 323 yards, and one touchdown. At this point in his career he became somewhat buried on the depth chart by the likes of Ronnie Bell, Nico Collins, and Donovan Peoples-Jones.

Black graduated in just three years and because of a medical redshirt received in the 2017 season, he will have two years of eligibility in the burnt orange and white.

Strengths

At 6-foot-3, 215 lbs, Tarik Black provides ideal size for an outside receiver. Pair his solid frame with strong hands and Black has the prowess to win one-on-one in the air against most college defensive backs. With 6-foot-4 Brennan Eagles at Z-receiver and Jake Smith and Jordan Whittington likely patrolling the slot, Black will provide a nice compliment at the X-receiver position.

Black is a deep threat that has above average body control with a strong skill for tracking the ball in the air. He rarely lets a pass deep into his body.

Look for coach Herman and Yurcich to take advantage of Black’s size in the vertical passing game. Should he be at full strength, Black will typically warrant some sort of safety help leaving the middle of the field open for Texas’ multitude of playmakers. Expect Black to have a few deep touchdowns catches in 2020, something the Longhorns have struggled producing in the Tom Herman era.

Weaknesses

The obvious weakness for Tarik Black is availability. We discussed his injury issues earlier, and at the wide receiver position it is crucial to trust your feet. Black played in just 20 of Michigan’s 39 games over the past three seasons.

Another cause for concern is Black’s route running. He is not polished to say the least and often rounds off cuts when coming out of his breaks. His breaks are not very clean which does not allow him to create much separation against opposing defensive backs.

His straight line speed is solid, testing with a low 40-time of 4.45 at Michigan. However, his stop and start ability is not that of many other elite receivers. Black takes a while to stop and start looking like he is gearing down when making cuts. He must learn to become more fluid or he will be stuck in a lot of jump ball situations.

The bright side? Black is not too shabby in the air.