There are programs in men's basketball known for producing one-and-done players, those elite few who can play just one year of college before declaring for the NBA Draft.
The Duke Blue Devils, the North Carolina Tar Heels, the Kentucky Wildcats (back when John Calipari was still running the show), and the Kansas Jayhawks are arguably the most prolific programs for doing so.
The Texas Longhorns aren't a part of that prestigious group, even after seeing stars like Kevin Durant and Tre Johnson head to the league after just one season on the 40 Acres.
Now, a lot of that was due to a lack of five-star talent coming to Texas after former head coach Rick Barnes parted ways with the program. Since current head coach Sean Miller took over, he re-established the Longhorns as one of the serious contenders to land top prospects.
However, even with five-star recruits like Marcus Spears Jr., Austin Goosby, and others joining the Horns from the class of 2026, Texas still won't be part of that one-and-done conversation.
Marcus Spears Jr., Austin Goosby likely at Texas for at least two years
For starters, Spears reclassified from 2027 to 2026, joining the Longhorns a year earlier than initially expected. Usually, that doesn't affect a player's eligibility in the upcoming NBA Draft. For Spears, it's a different story.
Spears only turned 17 years old in April, meaning he won't turn 18 until after his true freshman season is over, leaving him ineligible for the 2027 NBA Draft and forcing him to stay in college for at least two seasons.
That's great news for the Horns, as long as he stays in Austin and doesn't hit the transfer portal. But what's the story when it comes to Goosby?
Now, don't get me wrong, he is an extremely talented prospect, earning a five-star rating as the No. 19 overall recruit in the class of 2026.
Yet, he still has some question marks surrounding his game. Goosby is fairly inconsistent from beyond the arc, shooting just 25 percent during his senior season, and he still leans largely on his dominant hand while handling the ball, something that will have to change for him to find the most success possible in college, much less in the NBA.
Because of those two spots for development still remaining in his game, Goosby could massively benefit from spending at least two years in college, honing his skills to ensure that his draft stock is as high as possible before he heads to the league.
In a recent 2027 NBA Mock Draft, Bleacher Report writer Jonathan Wasserman only had one Longhorn hearing his name called in the 2027 NBA Draft: Elyjah Freeman, who transferred to Texas this offseason after spending one year with the Auburn Tigers.
With only two rounds in every NBA Draft and only 30 teams in the league, a minimal 60 players are drafted each year.
Many of those draft picks, in the modern era of the sport, come from overseas and many come from those blue-blood programs (Duke, UNC, Kansas, etc.). While Texas has produced a few first-round picks over the last few years, the Horns aren't ready to enter the one-and-done conversation quite yet.
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