Predicting Texas basketball’s next 2023 commit after 5-Star AJ Johnson

Isaiah Miranda, C

The most talented priority recruit for the Longhorns 2023 class that is left on the board at this point of the cycle is the elite five-star Southern California Academy center Isaiah Miranda.

Texas offered Miranda back in early September. And it was around the same time that Miranda included the Longhorns among his eight finalist schools in his latest round of cuts, which also came in early September.

Texas made some quick moves with Miranda this fall. And considering how Beard and the Longhorns were able to snag a commitment from his new Southern California Academy teammate, Johnson, earlier this week, I’d imagine that connection is something Texas will pitch to the elite seven-footer.

But the fact of the matter with this recruitment is that Texas has a lot of ground to make up. Texas is one of the later schools to offer Miranda, and he has yet to visit the Forty Acres.

Miranda has already taken official visits to see the USC Trojans (Feb. 21), Georgetown Hoyas (June 10), and Louisville Cardinals (Sep. 9). And from what we can tell at the moment, Louisville is the leader in this recruitment.

There is also the possibility of Miranda going the NBA route since he will be eligibility for the draft next year.

Yet, I wouldn’t rule out the Longhorns in this recruitment quite yet. Texas clearly needs, and wants, some help for the frontcourt rotation in the 2023 class. And Miranda is a guy that could make an immediate impact on this frontcourt unit next season.