Texas basketball: The NCAA transfer portal has closed. What's next for the Longhorns?

Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller shouts to his team in the first half of Texas’ 79-77 loss to the Purdue Boilermakers in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, March 26, 2026. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman)

Miller also welcomes four freshmen led by 6-5 McDonald's All-American Austin Goosby, the jewel of the Longhorns’ 2026 recruiting class. The class also includes forward Coleman Elkins, guard Bo Ogden and guard Joe Sterling. Ogden, the son of Texas general manager Chris Ogden, recently earned the Central Texas boys player of the year award from the American-Statesman after leading Westlake High School to the state finals. As a group, the Longhorns’ 2026 freshman class ranks 14th in the nation by 247 Sports.

Who left from this year’s Texas basketball team?

Almost the entire team. The Longhorns lost seven of the eight players in their rotation during their NCAA Tournament run. Small forward Dailyn Swain declared for the NBA draft after an All-SEC junior season in which he lead Texas in scoring and rebounding, and guards Tramon Mark, Chendall Weaver and Jordan Pope as well as forward Lassina Traore used up their eligibility, pending any appeals to the NCAA for one more year. Miller lost starting forward Cam Heide, reserve forward Nic Codie,reserve forward Declan Duru and reserve guard Simeon Wilcher to the portal.

Can Texas sign any more players?

Yes. Schools can have up to 15 players on their roster, and all are eligible for a scholarship since the House vs NCAA settlement last summer did away with scholarship limits. However, most programs still have a few walk-ons on the program; last season’s Texas roster included three, and this year’s roster structure could look similar depending on what Miller and Ogden do with their personnel.

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Anthon McDermott is expected to return as a redshirt sophomore walk-on. Expect the Longhorns to welcome two more walk-ons in order to fill their 15-player limit, which would match last season’s roster construction. That would leave Texas with one more spot for a scholarship athlete, which Miller would likely use on a perimeter player with a proven outside shot or another big man for frontcourt depth.

Does Texas know its rotation for next season?

Considering the amount of money it presumably took to resign Vokietaitis, bring in the four transfers and sign Goosby, there’s likely not much left over for another possible starter.

The 7-foot Vokietaitis will return in the middle after starting all 36 games this past season and averaging 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds. The 6-7, 245-pound Punch will likely step into the starting power forward's role next to Vokietaitis. Last season, Punch averaged 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.98 blocks while becoming one of the Big 12’s best two-way power forwards.

The 6-1 Johnson will likely start at point guard after leading Colorado in scoring with 16.9 points per game on 48.6% shooting from the field and 37.8% from 3-point range. He appeared in 32 games with 15 starts and gives Texas more of a scoring mentality at the point rather than a traditional floor general. The 6-5 Goosby will likely get every opportunity to start at shooting guard considering his recruiting clout. A stellar defender with a long wingspan, he averaged 17.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists for Dynamic Prep in Irving this season. Last year, he posted 24.1 points and 7.1 rebounds while leading Melissa to the state playoffs.

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The 6-8 Freeman will presumably fill the gap left by the departure of Swain on the wing.  Another stellar defender, Freeman averaged 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in 26.9 minutes while starting 21 games this past season for Auburn.

The 6-5, 220-pound Evans came off the bench this past season as a true freshman at Tennessee and averaging 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds with 34 steals in 14.1 minutes. He could play a similar role for Texas but may push Goosby for the starting job at shooting guard if the freshman struggles while adapting to the college game.

Clark and Obiorah seem like rotational players in the frontcourt, assuming they made progress during their redshirt seasons. Elkins seems like a redshirt candidate.

Ogden seems like a possible rotational player in the backcourt considering his outside shooting. He also enjoyed an impressive senior prep season after transferring from private school St. Michael’s to Westlake, which competes in the state’s largest classification. Sterling looks like a possible redshirt candidate, although his outside shooting may get him some minutes as a true freshman.