Texas men's basketball coach Sean Miller made headlines when he landed five-star combo guard Austin Goosby's commitment for the Longhorns.
Not only did the Horns pick up an elite playmaker on both ends of the court, but they earned the commitment over the likes of blue-blood programs like the Duke Blue Devils, the UCLA Bruins, and more.
Also read: Hype for Austin Goosby builds after highlight-reel game at McDonald's All-American
Now, Goosby is staring down the barrel of his freshman season on the 40 Acres, but could that be all that the Longhorns get out of their elite new addition?
ESPN 2027 NBA Mock Draft sees a lot of one-and-dones
According to one of the latest mock drafts from ESPN, Goosby could see himself go as high as No. 13 overall in the 2027 NBA Draft, as long as everything goes according to plan during his true freshman season.
Most of the time, almost without fail, it's impossible for a player to turn down that opportunity to return for another season with their college team. In other words, if all signs are pointing toward Goosby remaining a top-15 pick in next year's NBA Draft, it is more likely that he will be walking right back out the door after a single season at Texas.
However, the Horns wouldn't be alone in falling victim to the one-and-done trend in college basketball. The mock draft also has Kansas freshman Tyran Stokes heading to the NBA as the first overall pick, followed by Arkansas freshman Jordan Smith Jr. and Arizona freshman Caleb Holt.
- Tyran Stokes, freshman, Kansas
- Jordan Smith Jr., freshman, Arkansas
- Caleb Holt, freshman, Arizona
- Bruce Brance III, freshman, BYU
- Stefan Joksimovic, Spain
- Braylon Mullins, sophomore, UConn
- Thomas Haugh, senior, Florida
- Jason Crowe Jr., freshman, Missouri
- Anthony Thompson, freshman, Ohio State
- Cameron Williams, freshman, Duke
- Caleb Gaskins, freshman, Miami
- Miikka Muurinen, freshman, Arkansas
- Austin Goosby, freshman, Texas
- Motiejus Krivas, senior, Arizona
- Luigi Suigo, freshman, Villanova
In fact, ESPN's Jeremy Woo included 16 true freshmen heading to the next level in the first round of the 2027 NBA Draft, followed by four more freshmen in the second round.
Additionally, this wouldn't be the first time that Texas has landed one of the top recruits in the country just to wave goodbye to them one year later. One of the most famous cases was Kevin Durant, who spent just one season with the Horns before his historic NBA career began. A more recent example was Tre Johnson, who headed to the Washington Wizards in 2025 after one year on the 40 Acres.
Of course, for a lot of programs, one-and-dones are just a part of how the recruiting world works, with teams like Duke, the North Carolina Tar Heels, and other blue bloods experiencing this "phenomenon" more often than not.
Read more: Texas basketball is back in the gym with new faces for both the Longhorn women and men
Goosby was the No. 23 overall prospect in the class of 2026 and the No. 4 combo guard in the nation. It shouldn't be a massive surprise that he would head to the NBA if all goes well in his first season at Texas. However, wouldn't it be sweet if he shocked the world and decided to spend an extra year or two with the Longhorns?
Add us as a preferred source on Google