4 early-offseason portal targets Texas has contacted

Zeke Mayo, G

Former South Dakota State Jackrabbits junior Zeke Mayo is one of the top guards available in the transfer portal early this offseason.

The No. 2 transfer guard in the 247Sports Composite has already garnered interest from some of the top college hoops programs in the nation. The Kansas Jayhawks, Indiana Hoosiers, Houston Cougars, Florida Gators, Arizona Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, and Alabama Crimson Tide are some of the schools that have contacted Mayo in the portal in the last week.

Texas must replace multiple experienced senior guards in the rotation this offseason, especially if Hunter elects not to return for a third season in Austin for 2024-25. Abmas is a huge loss for the Longhorns this offseason since he was the team's leading scorer and the primary facilitator of the offense last season.

What Mayo brings is a bigger presence on the perimeter, at 6-foot-3 and 180-pounds. He is an absolute bucket-getter, averaging over 18 points per game in each of the last two seasons.

Despite the high scoring volume, Mayo was still an efficient shooter. He's a career 39 percent shooter from beyond the arc, 45 percent from the field, and 87 percent from the free-throw line.

Mayo has the length to be a more formidable on-ball perimeter defender than the 6-foot Abmas was for the Longhorns last season. Albeit, Mayo's defensive upside isn't all that high otherwise.

Another value add for Mayo is his rebounding ability. Since he's a bigger guard with good instincts on both ends of the floor, Mayo can be a force on the glass for a backcourt player. He's averaged well over five rebounds per game in each of the last two seasons.

Something to note here is that Mayo is a native of Lawrence, KS. Given that he's from Lawrence and the Jayhawks have already contacted him, Kansas looks like the early favorite in this portal recruitment.