Texas running back commit Noah Roberts opened his senior season with a win last week, helping Chandler (AZ) Basha knock off Chandler in a rematch of last year’s state championship game.
The matchup aired on ESPN, putting Roberts and his teammates in the national spotlight right away. He said the start of the season brought a little extra energy, but not the kind that rattled him.
"It felt good to get the first win," Roberts said. "The first game is always the ugliest as a team, but we still fought back, pushed through, and got a good win under our collar."
"I wouldn't say an extra level of nerves," he said. "It's just football at the end of the day. Just extra energy."
The game turned messy fast when a dust storm swept through in the middle of the action, and Roberts said the conditions changed the way both offenses had to operate. Wearing a visor helped him handle the weather, but Chandler still crowded the line of scrimmage and tried to make life difficult for him.
"It kind of throws off our offense," Roberts said. "We couldn't run the stuff we wanted to, couldn't throw the ball.
We ended up running the ball into a stacked box. That's why it was tough to get loose, and tough yards.
"I think I did pretty good. I fought for hard yards.
It was tough all night, wasn't easy out there. Felt I did good, stayed the course."
Roberts, a four-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite rankings, committed to Texas in May and says that decision has not wavered. He said he feels completely locked in with the Longhorns.
"I feel very good about it," Roberts said of his decision to be a Longhorn. "I'm very firm with it.
No regrets with it, nothing. I'm very firm."
When he chose Texas over Michigan, Oregon and Arizona State, Roberts said Steve Sarkisian’s pro-style offense and his relationship with running backs coach Jabbar Juluke stood out most.
"Really just coach Sarkisian's offense and coach Juluke's plan in developing me to an NFL back," Roberts said. "I know Sark calls good plays, favors the running backs and gets them involved in the passing game."
He’s also keeping close contact with the rest of Texas’ 2027 commitments as they move through their senior seasons before arriving in Austin in January.
"Really, I talk to everybody," he said. "All the recruits talk to each other. We have a big group chat, so it's not just one person I talk to the most."
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