Analyzing 3 5-Star recruits Texas basketball can land in August

In the midst of the first weekend of the month of August, the activity on the recruiting trail looks to be picking up for head coach Chris Beard and the Texas basketball program in the 2023 class. Last offseason, we saw Beard and his staff pick up on the pace on the recruiting trail for the 202 class.

And this offseason could see much of the same timeline on the recruiting trail play out for the current Longhorns class.

Beard and the Longhorns currently don’t have any commits in the 2023 class as of the afternoon of Aug. 6. And while that is likely to change before the 2022-23 season arrives, it is interesting to see the development of some of the top targets of the Longhorns 2023 class so far this summer.

Texas has offered multiple key five-star 2023 recruits, many of which are in-state prospects. And the chance still remains for Beard and the Longhorns to land at least one or two five-star commits in the 2023 class. That would be a notable feat if Texas could haul in multiple five-star recruits for the second straight cycle.

Breaking down the top 5-Star targets for Texas basketball that could join the 2023 class in August

With that in mind, here’s a look at three five-star recruits that Beard and the Longhorns could possibly land in August.

Dennis Evans, C

One of the rising targets of the Longhorns 2023 class this summer is the elite five-star Riverside-Hillcrest 7-foot-1 and 210-pound center Dennis Evans. This towering big man arrived on the radar for Beard and the Longhorns just a couple of months ago. In fact, he received a Texas offer back on June 2, 2022.

As one of the newer offers of the Longhorns 2023 class, Evans arrived on the scene with a bang this summer. Given the need that the Longhorns have to add true length and rim protection to the frontcourt unit in the near future, getting an offer out to the California product Evans looked to be a good move from this coaching staff.

And it appears that the communication Texas has put forward this summer has definitely made an impact on Evans and his camp. It also looks like Texas is bound to get Evans on campus for an official visit sometime in the next couple of months.

If Texas can get Evans on the books this month for an official visit to Austin, that could be the start for Beard and his staff to attempt to seal the deal with this elite big man.

The main challenge that the Longhorns will face in the race to land a commitment from Evans will be a mix of competing schools on the recruiting trail that includes UC-Riverside and the Kansas Jayhawks.

Moreover, what Evans would bring to the table for the Longhorns in the 2023 class would be the aforementioned critical rim protection and rebounding on the inside. Evans has a high defensive IQ and is the type of center that would dominate the paint in the Big 12.

Evans is also one of those modern floor-spacing big men that can drill three-pointers in catch-and-shoot situations.

Combine his outside scoring shooting ability with a good touch from within six or eight feet from the basket and you get an incredibly unique and potent talent on both ends of the floor in Evans.