Texas women's basketball battling Tennessee and others for nation's No. 4 PF

The Texas Longhorns and the Tennessee Volunteers have been tied together for a very long time in the world of women's college basketball. From the days of Pat Summitt and Jody Conradt to the day they reunited in the SEC, both have long been powerhouse programs.

Now, the two are finalists for one of the nation's most highly coveted power forwards, who included both the Horns and the Vols in her final five schools.

However, Texas and Tennessee aren't the only heavyweights in the fight. Jacy Abii, the No. 10 overall recruit and the No. 4 power forward in the class of 2026, included the Longhorns, the Volunteers, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the UCLA Bruins, and the LSU Tigers in her final five.

Abii, a Texas native from just up the road in Frisco, is a three-time state champion and has held an offer from the Horns since October 2023. Texas head coach Vic Schaefer wants this commitment, and that's putting it very lightly.

Somewhat surprisingly, when Abii narrowed her list from 16 to five programs, the young shooting guard didn't include the South Carolina Gamecocks, led by head coach Dawn Staley, or the UConn Huskies, led by head coach Geno Auriemma, who are undeniably the two most successful active women's basketball coaches.

However, that surprising exclusion is a good sign for the Longhorns. It means that Schaefer is doing something right on the recruiting trail.

Schaefer brought in just one recruit from the class of 2025, not all that unusual for women's basketball. Aaliyah Crump, a five-star combo guard from Florida, committed to the Longhorns as the only commit for Texas.

So far, the Horns have yet to land a prospect from the class of 2026, but a pickup like Abii could set up Texas to have success for years to come.