When Shaka Smart decided to move on from Texas and head north to Marquette, a rebuild seemed to be ahead of the program. Chris Beard put all of that talk to bed the minute he was hired.
Four elite level transfers have made Austin their destination since Beard’s hiring on April 1. On top of that, a four-star guard/forward switched over from Texas Tech to Texas, while three of Smart’s Big 12 championship players are returning as well.
With all of the talent acquisition and returning talent, there will be no rebuild this season. Because of that, Texas has begun to shoot up preseason ranking boards.
Jeff Goodman of Stadium has put the Longhorns as high as No. 10 in his way-too-early top 25. Only the defending national champions Baylor Bears are ranked higher.
Here is Goodman’s reasoning behind putting Texas in the top 10:
I’m betting on Chris Beard and his staff. He still has to add more pieces to the roster, but he’s already brought on four impact transfers and will bring back Jones and Ramey. They’ll be more.
Texas has the opportunity to continue to build preseason hype with the potential of Greg Brown and Jericho Sims to return. Both project as first-round picks in the upcoming NBA draft. May 30 is the deadline to declare.
Beard and his staff have been preaching “Monday night” in front of the media. The goal has been clearly set at not only making the Final Four, but the national championship.
Preseason hype is fun for now but when Beard a company get on the court this fall, living up to it will be a different challenge.