Texas Basketball: 3 best big men available in the portal early this offseason

Before too long, we’re likely going to see more movement in the NCAA Transfer Portal for head coach Chris Beard and the Texas basketball program in the early phases of this offseason. Texas had a busy offseason in the transfer portal last year as the former Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Beard was getting settled into the role.

Beard was one of the most active head coaches in the transfer portal last offseason among the major conference programs. That led to Beard and the Longhorns building out one of the most potent rosters in the Big 12 heading into the season that was.

But Texas largely didn’t live up to their preseason hype during the 2021-22 campaign, falling short to the three-seed Purdue Boilermakers in the Round of 32 a few weeks ago. While Texas did have a better outcome last season than really any campaign under the direction of former head coach Shaka Smart, the expectations will continue to rise in the next couple of seasons.

Who are some of the top big men in the portal early this offseason that Texas basketball should target?

In order for Beard and the Longhorns to elevate their results next season, this staff will need to be more effective in terms of talent evaluation and roster-building (especially in the frontcourt) than they were in the portal last offseason. Texas is going to have a good amount of roster attrition to deal with this offseason in all likelihood, so the portal must play an integral role in terms of how Beard and his staff build out the rotation ahead of next season.

And one of the big areas of need that Beard and the Longhorns must address lies in the frontcourt.

With that in mind, here’s a look at three of the best big men available in the portal early this offseason that the Longhorns should be scouting.