Not long ago, the Oregon Ducks were seen as the leaders in the race for four-star running back Noah Roberts. Now the back from Basha High School in Chandler, Arizona, is headed elsewhere.
On Friday, Roberts announced his commitment to Texas over Oregon, Arizona State, Michigan and others. Roberts is the No. 16 running back and the No. 257 overall recruit in the 2027 class, per Rivals Industry Ranking.
Back in January, the Ducks appeared to be in a good position to land the 6-foot-1 tailback from the desert, but visits to Texas swayed the Arizona back to follow in the footsteps of Bijan Robinson, whom Roberts grew up a fan of as Robinson made the leap from Arizona high school football to the Lone Star State.
Oregon already has four-star CaDarius McMiller committed in the 2027 class, so running back isn’t a pressing need at the moment. However, it would be a surprise if the Ducks don’t continue to pursue Roberts as he enters his senior season.
Roberts has a frame that allows him to power through tackles in the box, and he has great hands as a pass-catcher. However, Roberts hasn’t dominated the backfield at Basha yet. He split time in the backfield as a junior, taking 116 carries for 761 yards and eight touchdowns, but he did make a massive impact in the passing game with 50 catches for 562 yards and six more scores.
Although they didn’t land Roberts, the Ducks could still make a push for the back while recruiting fellow Basha star, four-star offensive tackle Jake Hildebrand, who listed the Ducks as one of his four finalists last month.
Oregon is also in the thick of a recruiting battle with TCU for four-star tailback Javian Jones-Priest, who will be back in Eugene for his official visit on June 19.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: 4-star RB Noah Roberts sidesteps Oregon, commits to Texas
