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Five-star AJ Johnson commits to Texas

The Texas Longhorns landed their second five-star commitment for the month of November on Monday. Top-10 senior guard AJ Johnson chose to play for Chris Beard and the Longhorns over LSU, Louisville and pro options.

Below, Johnson breaks down his decision and Travis Graf discusses Johnson's game and the fit in Austin.

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2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team

2025 Rankings: Top 40

Transfer Portal: Latest news

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IN HIS OWN WORDS

Why he chose Texas: “I just felt like, out of all of the colleges, that it was somewhere that I could see myself. I went on my visit there and I just saw how they lived every day, and the people they’re around every day. The workouts and the practices, I could just see myself thriving in that environment and being comfortable there and vibing with those people.”

Coaching staff’s vision for him: “They want me to come in and make an impact right away, even with me just being a freshman. Coach (Chris) Beard just says that he wants me to make an impact right away.”

Who he’s recruiting to join him: “I’m trying to get Isaiah Miranda to come, and I already know Ron (Holland) is committed.”

What Texas fans can look forward to: “A winning spirit, a very humble and happy person, and for me to win and put on a show.”

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COMMITMENT ANALYSIS 

Chris Beard has pushed the pace early in this season, and if he wants to make that a staple of his program moving forward, the commitments of AJ Johnson and Ron Holland make a lot of sense. Both thrive much more in the open court than they do in a slowed down, half court game.

Johnson is a late-blooming guard that’s hit as growth spurt over the last couple of years. Physically, he’s rail thin but he’s long and lanky. He’s a blur in transition and plays at a great pace in and up and down contest. Johnson has a constantly evolving bag on moves that he uses to get to his spots and moves very fluidly. The five-star guard hasn’t come close to reaching his ceiling and has a chance to be the best player out of the 2023 class when we look back four or five years from now. He’s got a lot of untapped potential and has just now started to put pieces to his game together consistently over the last 12 to 16 months.

The game is ran by big guards and wings that have skill and can score, and that’s what Johnson projects as at the pro level. He will need to drastically add weight over the next couple of years, but that will come in time. Johnson can put his head on the rim and skates around the court with ease, but he’s often bumped off of his path without much resistance. He’s got good shot mechanics, and once it becomes more consistent, he’ll become even harder to guard.

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