Sean Miller’s second Texas roster is taking shape through the portal, and this time the Longhorns are stacking experience at every level.
After leaning on transfers to fuel a Sweet 16 run in his first season, Miller has gone back to the well for 2026-27, adding five more portal pieces as Texas reloads around a clear blueprint: get older, get deeper and make sure every spot is covered.
“We had a strategy in the portal,” Miller said. “We really wanted to make sure that our guard position, our forward position and our center position were intact. And we wanted to create experience and depth, and really build a team that could compete for the top prize in our league.”
That plan has Texas sitting with the No. 3 ranked transfer portal class in the nation, according to Rivals.
One of the headliners is junior forward David Punch, who is heading from TCU to Austin after a strong season in Fort Worth. Miller said the Longhorns were eager to add Punch’s edge and toughness.
“We’re thrilled to add his experience [and] his physicality,” Miller said. “Mostly, when you get guys from the portal, you want them to fit, and I think Matas and David Punch form a very physical one-two punch, no pun intended there.”
Punch delivered big numbers for the Horned Frogs in his final season there, leading the team in points, rebounds and blocks per game while averaging 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.94 blocks. He also shot 50.3% from the field.
Texas also landed sophomore guard Isaiah Johnson from Colorado, another move that gives Miller a high-upside scorer to work with. Miller pointed to Johnson’s production and age as signs of what could come next.
“(He) averaged 16 points a game,” Miller said. “And if I just stop right there, if you’re in the Big 12 Conference and you shoot the percentages that he shot and you average 16 points a game as an 18-year-old, I think it shows that he has a huge, high ceiling and we’re really excited about helping him get to that ceiling.”
Johnson posted 16.9 points per game last season, shooting 48.6% from the field, 37.8% from three and 82.1% from the free throw line.
The Longhorns also added junior guard Mikey Lewis from Saint Mary’s, bringing in another player with a track record of production. Lewis earned First-Team All-West Coast Conference honors as a sophomore after averaging 13.9 points per game and shooting 39.8% from the field. He was also named WCC Sixth Man of the Year and made the All-Freshman Team during the 2024-25 season.
Texas’ portal class includes two more players with Southeastern Conference experience: junior forward Elyjah Freeman, who previously played for Auburn, and sophomore guard Amari Evans, who came over from Tennessee.
Freeman appeared in 38 games as a sophomore and averaged 26.8 minutes per game. He put up 9.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 44.4% from the floor and 34.3% from beyond the arc.
Evans played in 35 games in his lone season at Tennessee and averaged 14.4 minutes per game. In that limited role, he averaged 4.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
With five transfers in place, Miller has built a roster that looks a lot different from the one he started with, and the emphasis is obvious: fill the key positions, add players who have already done it at a high level, and keep Texas moving forward with a group built for depth and experience.
In Other News...
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Texas Fans Finally Have Clarity On Cole Hutson's Eligibility
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For Texas, the key point is simple: Hutson did not sign a pro contract, which matters under the SECs new policy barring players who have signed professional deals from returning to college sports. Arch Manning said he was surprised by the situation but welcomed Hutson back, and for a Longhorns team always looking to stabilize the line, having one more available body with this kind of backstory is a welcome development. [Read more 🡒]