3 elite recruits Texas basketball can win over with a deep run in March

During a time of year when March Madness commands the headlines for the Texas basketball program, there are still some important things to take into account on the recruiting trail. The way that Texas performs during the postseason can obviously make a big impression on some of the program’s top priorities on the recruiting trail in the next couple of cycles.

If interim head coach Rodney Terry and the Longhorns follow up on a solid run during the 2022-23 regular season and the Big 12 Tournament with a deep postseason run in March and April, that will be more than enough to build momentum that will spill over to the recruiting trail. That is a good sign that this program has a lot to buy into for the future and why it is heading in the right direction, regardless of what happens with the coaching situation next offseason.

Terry and the Longhorns are a two-seed in the Midwest Region in the Big Dance. If it is able to stave off an upset bid from the 15-seed Colgate Raiders in the Round of 64 on March 16, Texas has a pretty opportune path to making a run to the Elite Eight or Final Four this year.

Tre Johnson and the elite recruits Texas basketball can make an impression on during March Madness

With that in mind, here’s a look at three elite recruits that the Longhorns can make a major impression on by making a deep run in March Madness.

https://twitter.com/rforan23/status/1513312633067393025

BJ Davis-Ray, SG

One of the priority 2025 recruits that the Longhorns have offered that I personally like the most is the elite five-star Branson Link Academy (MO) shooting guard BJ Davis-Ray. Texas was one of the first schools to offer the 6-foot-6 and 175-pound two-guard/wing.

Davis-Ray officially received his scholarship offer from Texas in April 2022. Texas was one of the first three schools to officially extend him a scholarship offer, which came a few months before his recruitment really started to blow up last offseason.

Texas got in on this recruitment at a great time, and Terry personally has a good relationship with Davis-Ray and his camp. Terry has taken the lead on this recruitment for almost the past year. And it would obviously be a really good look if Terry and the Longhorns were able to make a run to the Elite Eight or Final Four this year.

Not only would a deep run in the NCAA Tournament help Terry make a strong case to have the interim tag taken off during the 2023 offseason, but it would also be something that could really appeal to Davis-Ray.

Per On3’s Jamie Shaw, Davis-Ray mentioned during an interview last month that finding the right fit in terms of personality and scheme will be the biggest factor in his recruitment.

"“I want to play for a coach who is going to make me better. I want to come into a team that I don’t really have to change my game. I’ll be looking closely at the system because I want it to fit my style.”"

Given the longstanding connection that Terry already has with Davis-Ray, it goes without saying that the former Fresno State and UTEP head coach getting the full-time gig would help the Longhorns’ chances in this recruitment early on. And as we’ve talked about already in this article and in recent weeks ad nauseam, the best way that Terry can make his case for getting the full-time job is to make a deep run in the postseason.

Texas is currently in a mix of around eight or 10 schools that have offered Davis-Ray that he is considering, which also includes the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Kansas Jayhawks, Arkansas Razorbacks, TCU Horned Frogs, Oklahoma Sooners, and Illinois Fighting Illini, among a few others.

He’s only visited Kansas and Arkansas thus far as Davis-Ray is still very much in the early stages of his decision-making process. Texas is definitely involved in this recruitment and getting Davis-Ray to campus would be a logical next move for Terry and the Longhorns with the elite two-guard.