Predicting next Texas basketball commit after 3-Star F Alex Anamekwe

Ja’Kobe Walter, SG/SF

What appears to be the top target on the board right now for the Longhorns 2023 class is the elite five-star Link Academy (MO) shooting guard/small forward Ja’Kobe Walter. This incredibly talented and potent 6-foot-5 and 180-pound wing could help to build the foundation of the Longhorns 2023 class if Beard and his staff can close this one out this offseason.

But this recruitment won’t come without its fair share of challenges as it looks like a top school has emerged for Walter this spring. Head coach Scott Drew and the Baylor Bears gained a lot of momentum in the race to land a commitment from Walter in the last few months. Most of the discussion as to where he could land favors the Bears at this point of the offseason.

This recruitment is still not over, though. And given the fact that Texas had what seemed like a very successful recent visit with Walter, you definitely can’t count them out right now. Texas could still make a real run at Baylor heading into the summer months if they can continue to make the right moves with Walter and his camp.

There will be other top blue-chip recruits that Beard and the Longhorns staff go after to establish the foundation of the 2023 class. But the biggest one right now is clearly Walter. Texas needs to continue to make progress in this recruitment to avoid having a repeat of what happened with the elite 2022 shooting guard prospect and iSchool Entrepreneurial Academy product Keyonte George where they lose Walter to Baylor.