In his first season, Sean Miller, Texas men’s basketball head coach, relied heavily on veteran players, with the roster consisting of just three freshmen, and only one of those players truly saw the court.
Heading into year two, the number of freshmen on the roster has ballooned to six, which helped the Longhorns secure the No. 5-ranked 2026 recruiting class in the nation per Rivals.
Miller made a lot of additions to strengthen his roster, but one that grabbed the headlines was five-star forward Marcus Spears Jr.
Spears Jr. ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2027 by ESPN and opted to reclassify to the 2026 class and join the Longhorns for the 2026-27 season, giving the Texas team a talented, exciting prospect.
“This year, more than anything, has to be a year of growth, learning and development,” Miller said in a summer media availability. “And no doubt he’ll do all three of those things because looking at his talent, his ceiling, he might have the highest ceiling of anybody in our program.”
While needing the time to adjust to the program and the college game is important for any player, it will be even more crucial for Spears Jr., who enters his freshman season at 17 years old.
However, Spears Jr. won’t spend much time this season watching from the sideline.
“He’s not just somebody who’s here only to develop this year, he will impact our team, he will impact winning,” Miller said. “It took me about three days to see that and what you’re going to find is he’s just going to get better and better.”
Prior to the addition of Spears Jr. the crown jewel of the Texas 2026 recruiting class was Austin Goosby, five-star combo-guard who ranked as the second-best player out of the Lone Star State, according to 247Sports.
Through his first summer on the Forty Acres, Goosby has impressed.
“Austin shows up every day ready to work,” Miller said. “Austin knows why he’s here, he’s all business, he’s here to accomplish great things and you really sense that (about) his work ethic.”
In his junior year in the 2024-25 season at Melissa High School, Goosby averaged 24.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, showcasing the productivity and skill set he brings.
And Miller highlighted the attributes that could get Goosby on the court early during his freshman campaign.
“He’s very unique in that he has great size and athleticism, but he also has an incredible basketball IQ,” Miller said. “His ability to make decisions, passing and playmaking are second to none.”
The foundation of the Texas 2026 recruiting class was built on a pair of four-star guards in Bo Ogden and Joe Sterling, who could become key pieces off the bench as freshmen.
Ogden played his senior season at Austin Westlake High School where he averaged 22.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting 40% from three-point range and 84% from the free throw line.
Sterling joins the Longhorns from the West Coast out of Encino, Calif. Throughout the spring and summer on the Pro16 circuit, Sterling averaged 21 points, three rebounds and three assists per contest and converted 44% from three-point range.
The final two freshmen on the Texas roster who will likely take this year to develop are Austin native Coleman Elkins and international prospect Mantas Laurencikas from Lithuania, the same country as junior center Matas Vokietaitis.
As Miller and the Longhorns head into the 2026-27 season with rising expectations, the Texas program has a young and talented foundation in place.