Texas lands former Kansas signee Chris Johnson

Texas landed the top available prospect in the 2023 class on Monday, when former Kansas commit Chris Johnson announced his intention to play for the Longhorns next season. Johnson is the No. 40 prospect in the class-of-2023 Rivals150 and is a much-needed late grab for a UT team that needed some good news after losing a pair of marquee signees to professional leagues.

Below, Rivals examines what Texas is getting in the versatile guard as well as what the news means for the big picture.

WHAT TEXAS IS GETTING

Johnson has some notable size to him and is incredibly well versed in using it to create space to score in both the paint and the mid-range. He’s progressed nicely as a defender in the last year, and his combination of size and atheism suggest he might get even better on that end of the floor down the road, as he is able to stay in front of most ball handlers he’ll encounter. His physicality should serve Texas well, but Johnson will become a star on the college level if he gets better shooting the ball from behind the arc, where things have been a bit hit-and miss over the last year. Johnson is capable of playing either guard spot, and will arrive in Austin battle tested, having played his senior season for Montverde Academy, a member of the best high school basketball conference in the country.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE LONGHORNS

Texas needed a palate cleanser of sorts after losing one-time commits Ron Holland and AJ Johnson to professional options at the 11th hour. And while Johnson won't replace the two departed stars, his commitment numbs the pain a bit. Rodney Terry needed to catch a break to salvage his first recruiting class and did so by landing the former Kansas commit despite heavy interest from Arkansas and other major programs. Johnson gives the Longhorns’ 2023 haul a headliner and the type of player capable of making an instant impact in the Big 12.