Right now, it's Horns up

Need something to watch while you have NFL withdrawals for the next few days? New Baylor guard Jeremy Roach sits down with Jeff Goodman and discusses his decision to transfer from Duke, what to expect at Baylor and more.

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1. Can loaded Longhorns put it all together?

Life’s good in Austin right about now. The football team is rolling after whipping the defending champs at home. Business in the metro area is booming, and tropical storm Francine is headed away from town.

(OK, maybe the Longhorns volleyball team would like a do-over to the season.)

And the outlook for Rodney Terry’s squad entering 2024-25? It’s also quite nice … from a talent standpoint.

Texas added six transfers this offseason. Jordan Pope (Oregon State) and Tramon Mark (Arkansas) can score. Arthur Kaluma (Kansas State) is a versatile forward who can stretch a defense and guard multiple positions. And Indiana State transfers Julian Larry and Jayson Kent are good shooters who know how to blend into a team-first offensive approach. And that’s on top of returning players Kadin Shedrick and Chendall Weaver, plus 5-star freshman Tre Johnson.

It’s enough talent that the Horns are slated No. 11 by Barttorvik.

All that said, can Terry make those potent pieces mesh? Rob Dauster and John Martin discuss the challenges ahead of the Horns, especially when Terry’s first two seasons have been uneven with loads of talent. He made an Elite Eight, then followed up with a 13-loss campaign last season.

Both guys give Texas good grades. But maybe we’re overthinking the transfer portion of Texas’ offseason.

Maybe we should focus on Tre Johnson. Here’s a strong take on Johnson (consider the source, though…)

The 6-6 shooting guard out of Dallas is a Top 5 prospects in the class of 2024 and may be the best scorer of them all. He’ll score off the dribble, the open floor, beyond the arc, against bigger opponents and smaller ones.

He’s the most significant change from last year when the Horns also featured an elite scorer in Max Abmas — but Johnson need loads of screens or specific plays to score. It’ll be interesting to see how Johnson plays alongside Mark. Terry could end up using both of them in separate units, bolstered by elite defenders in Larry and Weaver.

In the end, the season will be a success if Terry can get consistent playmaking from his guards and if the defense has a healthy Shedrick to protect the rim. The Horns are loaded with guys who are 6-5 to 6-8 and athletic, but the 6-11 Shedrick is the only real rim protector.

Time to see if the pieces mesh.

2. No shortage of commitments

Maryland, Vanderbilt, UNLV and Dayton all landed notable commitments from 2025 prospects over the last few days. And that was just for starters as the amount of commits hit double digits.

Here’s a rundown.

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