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

Ron Holland, PF

Potentially the top target of the Longhorns 2023 class throughout the offseason is the elite five-star Duncanville power forward Ron Holland. Texas has continued to make Holland a top priority in the 2023 class throughout the summer.

And with Holland scheduled to take his official visit to Austin on Sep. 3, we are getting closer and closer to a likely decision from him in the next couple of months.

Landing a commitment from Holland could clearly be a game-changer for the Longhorns. Holland feels like the most critical target for Beard and his staff in the Longhorns 2023 class.

The 6-foot-8 and 200-pound Holland is an extremely potent two-way forward that would be a tremendous force in this starting unit right away. There are some questions about his offensive game, mostly in terms of his ability to develop his jump shot from the mid-range and beyond the arc.

But pretty much every other part of Holland’s game is well-rounded. He’s very lengthy and uses that frame well on both ends of the floor. Holland is a big-time disruptor on the defensive end of the floor and uses his length well to rise up above opposing defenders to create open looks from two-point range. He also thrives when he’s able to get out in the open and run in transition.

The top-ranked high school prospect out of the state of Texas is also nearly unanimously ranked as a top 10 recruit in the nation by all the major recruiting services. Holland’s NBA Draft Lottery-caliber skill set could be a key part of the Texas starting unit and would immediately impact Beard’s squad on both ends of the floor.

Given how Texas is likely to lose the fellow former five-star forward recruit Dillon Mitchell to the NBA Draft following the 2022-23 season, it could be especially crucial to land an elite prospect such as Holland.