Kansas linebacker Marcquis Roberts dances around the perimeter of the field with a football prior to kickoff against Memphis on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015 at Memorial Stadium.

More than an hour before recording a career-high nine tackles during Kansas University’s 55-23 loss to Memphis on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, KU junior Marcquis Roberts put on a show of a different kind.

In the south end zone, closest to the corner where the Jayhawks take the field, the South Carolina transfer who has started both of KU’s games this season at linebacker danced, dipped and smiled his way through his pregame warm-up routine.

Decked out in game pants, a ratty, old McEachern High T-shirt from his hometown of Powder Springs, Georgia, and a blue adidas sleeve on his right arm, Roberts, still wearing a black KU backpack and all-black Beats by Dre headphones, looked equal parts stage performer, rap star and football player.

“That’s what I like to do,” Roberts said after the loss. “Every time. Every game. When I was at South Carolina, I liked to get out there, touch the field a little bit, get a little space to myself and have some fun out there. … It helps me get all my nervousness out.”

Roberts’ pregame prologue was not officially clocked, but it lasted long enough to allow for three KU staff members to come out and tell him to go get dressed. And it did not end until KU’s specialists, who typically are the first Kansas players on the field for warm-ups, trotted onto the field past the rapping, smiling, spinning linebacker.

“I’m out there for a good minute,” Roberts said with a smile and head tilt. “Little bit of slow jams, a little new-school rap, little bit of everything … whatever I’m feeling at that time.”

Roberts’ big day surpassed his previous best of seven tackles, which came in 2013 against Vanderbilt. It’s hard to draw a direct correlation between the pregame flow and Roberts’ on-the-field performance, but, strange or not, as entertaining as it may be, his teammates seem fine with it.

“I didn’t know exactly what he was doing,” junior defensive end Damani Mosby joked. “He had his backpack on so I just let him do his thing.”

Added junior cornerback Brandon Stewart: “Everybody has their own way of getting ready for the game, so I respect his way. Whatever he does, it works.”

Cozart still No. 1

Three quarterbacks have taken snaps for the Kansas offense so far this season, but KU coach David Beaty said Saturday that junior starter Montell Cozart remained atop the depth chart.

“No one’s entrenched at any position ever,” Beaty said. “But he’s still our starter. We’ll go back, and we’ll look at this tape, and we’ll evaluate that, and then we’ll also evaluate this week’s work and next week’s body of work. If a guy continues to improve, and he does better and plays better … those guys earn it. And (if) they beat a guy out, they’re going to take that job until the other guy steps up and takes it back. So the quarterback’s not going to be any different for us. We want those guys to have confidence, but they still are going to have to compete. I love Montell. I trust him. I know that he wants to do well. I just think he didn’t have his best game tonight, but I know he’ll come back and work on trying to get better.”

2017 commitment

The Jayhawks picked up an oral commitment from 2017 prospect Dominic Williams, a 5-foot-9, 186-pound running back from Parish Episcopal School in Dallas.

Williams, who has been clocked faster than 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash, chose KU over interest from an impressive list of suitors, including Arkansas, Baylor, Mississippi State, TCU and Washington, among others.

Beaty, as has become his custom, celebrated Sunday’s news with a Tweet that read, #Neatdeal.

KU, led by running-backs coach Reggie Mitchell, was the first school to offer Williams, who made a visit to campus for the South Dakota State game.

Next up

The Jayhawks (0-2) will have their lone bye of the 2015 season this week and will travel to Rutgers for a Sept. 26 kickoff in New Jersey.

Rutgers dropped to 1-1 with a 37-34 home loss to Washington State last weekend and will play at Penn State on Saturday night before hosting the Jayhawks.