Sean Miller’s first season as head coach of the Texas Longhorns was one hell of a rodeo, as the team endured a grueling SEC regular-season schedule, made the NCAA Tournament as a First Four team, and fell just two points short of the Elite Eight.
Reaching the Sweet 16 despite an unfavorable route was a great achievement for Miller, who will try to prove in his second season that their big postseason surge was for real. The March Madness run Texas had fueled Miller and his coaching staff to search for talent in the transfer portal to assemble a competitive team for the 2026-27 season.
Texas Longhorns’ 2026 Transfer Portal Tracker
Sean Miller and his coaching staff are having a busy offseason, managing departures, returnees, and incoming talent. They had their work cut out for them, convincing some of his players to return for another year, primarily by leveraging the Sweet 16 run and NIL resources to lure them back.
Miller was fortunate to have one of its key players from last year’s roster return for another run and to secure commitments from quality student-athletes in the transfer portal. These developments cushioned the impact of players moving on after exhausting their college eligibility and entering the transfer portal to find new teams that would provide them with proper exposure.
With the portal window closing on April 21, here are the players who will not return next season.
Confirmed Departures
- Tramon Mark – Exhausted Eligibility
- Lassina Traore – Exhausted Eligibility
- Cole Bott – Exhausted Eligibility
- Brandon Taylor – Exhausted Eligibility
- Nic Codie – Committed to SMU
- Camden Heide – Committed to South Carolina
- Simeon Wilcher – Committed to Seton Hall
Mark was a key contributor during the Longhorns’ NCAA Tournament run this past season. The 6’5″ guard, who also had stints with Houston and Arkansas, played in 36 games under Miller, starting all 36, and averaged 14.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.
Traore played 23 games for Texas this past season. He received an additional year of eligibility after missing the 2024-25 season due to a season-ending injury at Xavier. The 6’9″ forward, who also played for Saint Louis and Long Beach State in his first three seasons, averaged 3.4 ppg and 5.1 rpg for the Longhorns.
Bott is a 6’6″ walk-on forward who played in six games for Texas last season. He averaged 0.5 ppg, 0.2 rpg, and 0.2 apg for the Longhorns. Over four seasons with Texas, he appeared in 23 games, averaging 0.6 ppg, 0.4 rpg, and 0.2 apg.
Taylor was a graduate transfer walk-on from East Texas A&M. The 6’0″ guard played four games for Texas, averaging 0.8 points and 0.5 rebounds, and primarily served as a reserve under head coach Sean Miller.
Codie played two seasons with Texas, averaging 3.0 points and 2.1 rebounds over 43 games. He announced his commitment to transfer to SMU on April 25, according to On3.
Heide started in 29 of 35 games as a junior for the Longhorns this past season, averaging 5.9 points and 2.7 rebounds. The 6’7″ forward was an excellent sniper, shooting 45.4% from beyond the arc. He committed to South Carolina on April 15.
Wilcher entered the transfer portal after playing one season at Texas. While with the Longhorns, the St. John’s transfer averaged 5.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. He committed to Seton Hall on April 13.
Players Leaving in the Transfer Portal
- Declan Duru
Duru, a 6’8″ forward from Munich, Germany, played in only 12 games for Texas during his freshman season, averaging 1.3 points and 1.2 rebounds. He entered the portal on April 13 and is still seeking a team.
In Limbo
- Jordan Pope
- Chendall Weaver
Technically, Pope fully exhausted his four-year collegiate eligibility after playing at least 32 games for Oregon State and Texas, but he entered the transfer portal on April 21. He remains in the portal, hoping the NCAA approves the “five-in-five” proposal, which would allow student-athletes to compete for five seasons over five years. This past season, Pope averaged 13.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists for the Longhorns.
Like Pope, Weaver expects the “five-in-five” proposal to grant him an additional year of playing eligibility. The 6’3″ guard entered the transfer portal after appearing in 36 games for Texas this past season. Weaver averaged 5.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists for the Longhorns. He played 122 games for UT Arlington and Texas without receiving a medical redshirt.
Declared for the NBA Draft
- Dailyn Swain
Swain declared for the 2026 NBA Draft during the offseason while preserving his collegiate eligibility. The 6’7″ forward appeared in 36 games and led Texas in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals, averaging 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. If Swain returns next season, he would have at least one year of eligibility remaining, which Miller hopes he’ll use to play another year with the Longhorns.
Expected To Return
- Matas Vokietaitis
- John Clark
- Lewis Obiorah
- Anthon McDermott
Vokietaitis, a 7’0″ transfer center from Florida Atlantic, played well as a starter for Texas, averaging 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in 36 games as a sophomore. The Lithuanian averaged 26.0 minutes per game and shot 61.9% from the field.
Clark, a four-star recruit in the Class of 2025, sat out the 2025-26 season to recover from a high school injury. He is expected to play as a redshirt freshman in the 2026-27 season.
Like Clark, Obiorah spent his true freshman year as a redshirt due to a September 2025 foot stress fracture. The 7’1″ center from London is likely to play in the 2026-27 season, possibly as a backup to Vokietaitis.
McDermott played seven games for Texas this past season, averaging 0.9 ppg and 0.6 rpg. The Hallsville (Texas) standout opted to redshirt the 2024-25 season to preserve a year of eligibility.
Incoming Transfer Players
- Mikey Lewis (from Saint Mary’s)
- Elyjah Freeman (from Auburn)
- Amari Evans (from Tennessee)
- David Punch (from TCU)
- Isaiah Johnson (from Colorado)
Lewis committed to play for Texas on April 23, spurning a prior offer from Oregon. The 6’3″ incoming junior played in 68 games for the Gaels, averaging 11.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, and 1.3 apg. He shot 40.0% from the field, including 36.8% from 3-point range.
Freeman began his college career at Division II Lincoln Memorial before transferring to Auburn this past season. He appeared in 38 games for the Tigers, averaging 9.2 points, 5.2 rpg, 1.2 apg, and 1.3 spg. The 6’8″ guard committed to Texas on April 19.
Evans committed to Texas on April 17, following his freshman year at Tennessee. The 6’5″ native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, appeared in 35 games for the Volunteers, averaging 4.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 14.4 minutes per game.
Punch broke out in his sophomore year at TCU, averaging 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.9 blocks in 34 games this past season. The 6’7″ forward shot 50.3% from the field and 65.3% from the free-throw line. He committed to Texas on April 12.
Johnson, meanwhile, was Texas’s first transfer portal commit, announcing his commitment on April 11. The 6’1″ guard had a standout freshman season at Colorado, averaging 16.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.0 apg, and 1.0 spg. He shot 48.6% from the field and 37.8% from long range.
Incoming Freshmen
- Austin Goosby
- Bo Ogden
- Coleman Elkins
- Joe Sterling
Goosby is a 6’5″ four-star guard prospect from Dynamic Prep (Texas). He signed on November 17, 2025, and was selected for the McDonald’s All-American Game last March. In 13 minutes for the West All-Stars, he scored six points, grabbed two rebounds, dished one assist, and recorded two steals as the West All-Stars beat the East All-Stars, 86-71.
Ogden played for Westlake High School (Austin, Texas) and earned the state’s Mr. Basketball award after leading the team to a 32-7 record and a runner-up finish in the UIL Class 6A Division II state tournament. The 6’5″ guard averaged 22.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, shooting 40% from 3-point range and 84% from the free-throw line.
Elkins is a 6’10” forward who played at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School (Austin) and averaged 15.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Currently at Blair Academy (Blairstown, New Jersey), Elkins is expected to bolster the Longhorns’ frontline, which already features Vokietaitis at center and Clark and Obiorah as backups.
Sterling is a 6’4″ guard at Harvard-Westlake (Encino, California). He is a four-star guard prospect ranked No. 93 overall by ESPN and No. 100 by 247 Sports. He helped Harvard-Westlake finish 31-3 and reach the California Interscholastic Federation regional semifinals.
