Hooked 'em: Texas beats out Baylor for five-star Tre Johnson

Texas landed the crown jewel of its 2024 recruiting class on Wednesday, when five-star guard Tre Johnson chose the Longhorns over in-state foe Baylor and a host of other major programs. Below, Rivals explores what the Longhorns are getting in the high-scoring Johnson as well as what the recruiting victory means for the Texas program going forward.

WHAT TEXAS IS GETTING:

One of the most well-rounded scorers in the 2024 class, the 6-foot-6 Johnson has the type of length and jumper that modern NBA front offices salivate over. In an era where the term “three-level scorer” is overused, Johnson is the epitome of the phrase. The Texas-born guard boasts a reliable pull-up jumper from the mid-range and shoots it well from deep. He also handles it well enough to take most defenders off the bounce. He’s become a much better ball-handler over the last year but could stand to continue to improve on that front. He’ll take the next step as he becomes a more reliable facilitator and adds the necessary muscle to impact college games on the glass.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE LONGHORNS

Johnson was considered a Baylor lean for some time, but the tide seemed to begin its turn a month or so back. By the time Johnson wrapped up his Late August official visit to Austin, the situation was essentially a dead heart. Separation began to set in the last week or so and eventually yielded Johnson’s Wednesday afternoon pledge. The reasons this is such a notable win for the Longhorns are many, not the least of which is the fact that head coach Rodney Terry was able to maintain continuity despite having carried the interim tag during the early days of Johnson’s recruitment. Going head to head with Scott Drew and his long history of success is no easy job for a second-year head coach looking to find his footing on the trail, so Terry’s work here deserves a metaphorical standing ovation.