One of the nation’s top 2017 talents and a priority point guard for Shaka Smart released his top six Wednesday and the Texas Longhorns weren’t included.
My Final 6 Schools #Blessed pic.twitter.com/1NMKxCHUfH
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) July 28, 2016
The programs still in contention for the No. 3 point guard in the country are Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Washington, Kansas and Oklahoma State.
The Longhorns stuck on the outside looking in does come as a bit of a surprise, though. In a recent feature by Orangebloods, Young discussed his childhood love for Texas, saying, “I grew up the biggest Texas fan in the world. I was born Texas so whenever you’re born in Texas, the only thing you want to do is go to the biggest school in Texas.” But there’s legitimate reason for each of the six schools still in consideration to be where they are with Young, which he expanded on via Rivals.
But in any case, Texas was up against some stiff competition to land the Norman (Okla.) product and now that it’s clear Texas is out of the mix, Smart and his staff can begin focusing more on much more likely targets, which includes four-star floor general Matt Coleman.
Considering the two just spent time together playing under Smart for Team USA, Coleman’s interest in Texas may have been evident and that could have played a role in Young’s decision to exclude the ‘Horns. Coleman is now projected as a consensus lean to Texas by the 247Sports Crystal Ball.