After a strong performance in the 2026 NCAA Tournament for the Longhorns, Texas fans everywhere were incredibly eager to find out whether or not star C Matas Vokietaitis was going to stay with the team. Rumors were going around that he told some people he wasn't sure if he'd be back, but it looks like Vokietaitis put those rumors to bed just now.
He officially announced that he's returning to Texas for the 2026/2027 season.
The 7'0", 250-pound center was an integral part of Sean Miller's inaugural squad last season, and he carried the team on his back against BYU and Gonzaga in the tournament.
He had some trouble with fouling early on in the 2025/2026 season, but he seemingly got that fixed with the help of Sean Miller and the coaching staff. It was honestly one of the main reasons why the Longhorns were able to go on a nice run over the second half of the season.
NEWS: Matas Vokietaitis is returning to Texas for his junior season, per Deimantas Baziukas and Deirunas Visockas of Gersh Sports.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 10, 2026
Massive retention for Sean Miller. The Lithuanian 7-footer carried the Longhorns to the Elite Eight with a dominant NCAA Tournament run. pic.twitter.com/1ta1WlGwyh
Vokietaitis officially averaged 15.6 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 0.9 BPG in 2025/2026 while shooting 61.9% from the floor and 66.9% from the free-throw line. He undoubtedly needs to get better from the foul line, but his 61.9% FG percentage was No.1 in college basketball last season.
As of right now, he'll be Texas' lone returning starter next season as both Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope have run out of eligibility, Dailyn Swain has declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, and Camden Heide decided to enter the transfer portal yesterday.
Retaining Vokietaitis was a huge win for Sean Miller this offseason, as he now kept one of the Longhorns' most consistent and occasionally dominant players out of the portal.
Let's see who Texas can bring in via the transfer portal to help fill out the roster now.