Texas Basketball: Predicting Longhorns’ next commit after Tre Johnson
Texas basketball secured its highest-rated commitment in the 2024 recruiting class this week since center Mo Bamba in the 2017 class by landing the elite five-star Dallas (TX) Link Academy shooting guard Tre Johnson over the Baylor Bears. Johnson committed to and signed with Texas during the Early Signing Period this week to bring head coach Rodney Terry and his staff up to three signees in the 2024 class.
Not only is Johnson the highest-rated commitment the Longhorns have landed on the recruiting trail since Bamba over five years ago, but he is also the third-highest-rated pledge in the era of modern recruiting rankings.
Who’s next to commit to Texas basketball after landing No. 1 2024 SG Tre Johnson?
Johnson is tabbed as the No. 1 shooting guard recruit in the nation in the 2024 class by all the major recruiting services (ESPN, Rivals, On3, and 247Sports). He is the third recruit to commit to the Longhorns in the 2024 class and the second five-star prospect.
Johnson is the prized get amid a group of three top-50 rated prospects Texas signed in the 2024 class, including five-star shooting guard Cam Scott and four-star power forward Nic Codie. Terry showed that he can get it done at the highest level on the recruiting trail in just his first year as the full-time head coach.
Texas could still be looking to take one more scholarship player from the high school ranks in the 2024 class before the second signing period next spring. The Longhorns are also getting started to narrow down their top choices on the trail in the 2025 class late this fall.
Here are three possible candidates to be the next to commit to the Longhorns after Texas landed Johnson’s pledge on Nov. 15.
Jeremiah Jenkins, PG*
With Texas now sitting at three blue-chip commitments in the 2024 class coming out of the Early Signing Period, Terry and the staff will either take one more or no pledges for this cycle from the high school ranks. If Texas does take another high school recruit in the 2024 class before the next signing period in spring, it will likely be a developmental prospect.
The two positions the Longhorns are likely to need to add depth heading into next offseason is at guard and center. Texas loses senior guard Max Abmas due to exhausted eligibility and a key big man in super senior Dylan Disu next offseason. Those are the big names. But Texas also loses senior forward Brock Cunningham and senior wing Ithiel Horton due to exhausted eligibility.
Texas can restock add one of those two position groups for the long haul by adding a development player in the 2024 class, like what Terry did in the 2023 class with three-star forward Devon Pryor. Texas added Pryor late in the 2023 cycle after he flipped from the LSU Tigers and reclassified from the 2024 class.
If Texas did something similar in the 2024 class in the coming months, it could target a high-upside developmental guard or big men. One particular example of this could be going after a recruit like three-star New Britain (CT) Brewster Academy point guard Jeremiah Jenkins.
Before discussing Jenkins, I will say that there hasn’t been any contact, from what I know of, between Texas and the three-star guard from the esteemed Brewster Academy.
It’s more of the idea of Texas pursuing a high-upside point guard recruit like Jenkins that makes sense in the 2024 class. From watching his high school and AAU film, Jenkins is an explosive athlete, a good facilitator, and a good finisher around the basket. He’s got a lethal first step, is quick to drive the lane and get to the basket, and finishes well through contact.
From multiple perspectives, Jenkins would be a nice fit in Terry’s system if he continues to improve his outside shot. Jenkins runs well in transition, is a capable facilitator, and is a high-effort player on both ends of the floor. All of those aspects of Jenkins’ game fit well in Terry’s system.
Jenkins currently holds offers from seven Division I schools, including Boston College, UMass, and Western Kentucky. If Texas were to jump in this recruitment late in the cycle, an offer could make an impression on Jenkins.
He wouldn’t be the first talented recruit from Brewster to commit to Texas if this hypothetical situation were to play out on the recruiting trail this cycle. The 2010-11 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, guard Dogus Balbay, and standout big man Kai Jones (who played at Texas for two seasons from 2019-2021) were two Brewster Academy alumni that played for Texas in the last two decades.
Texas does have multiple guards who are likely to be back next season, including freshman combo guard Chris Johnson and sophomore guard Chendall Weaver. Junior guard Tyrese Hunter could also return for his senior season. But Hunter declared early for the 2023 NBA Draft before withdrawing his name before the deadline to return to Texas this season.
The Longhorns could also take a forward in this cycle to restock on depth in the frontcourt with the expected departures there next offseason.