No. 1 SG Tre Johnson signs with Texas

A week after signing guard Cam Scott and forward Nic Codie, head coach Rodney Terry and the Texas Longhorns landed one of the nation’s top prospects with the signing of guard Tre Johnson, a consensus five-star prospect ranked as the No. 1 shooting guard and the No. 4 player overall in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Texas won out over fierce competition for the 6’6, 190-pounder, who now plays at Link Academy in Branson, Mo. but originally hails from Dallas, securing his pledge over Alabama, Baylor, Kansas, and Kentucky, all of which hosted Johnson for official visits this year.

“I like the culture and my relationship with the coaching staff,” Johnson told 247Sports. “They have guys who will be returning that will be good players around me. They see me as one of their guys who can come in and be effective on offense. They want me to be a one-and-done player who will always have a program to come back to.”

With prototypical size for the shooting guard position, Johnson is known as an elite scorer who can hit threes off bounce, but prefers operating in the open court or the mid range with a knack for getting to the free-throw line and emerging playmaking ability as a lead ball handler.

“What makes Tre Johnson special is his shot-making ability. In fact, he might be the most-feared scorer in his high school class. That is something that will not only translate at The University of Texas but beyond. Tre Johnson is already a pro in many ways. Whether that’s his overall game and natural ability, but also his mindset and the way he carries himself off the court,” said Joe Tipton, college basketball recruiting reporter for On3.com.

“I cannot express enough how significant of a pickup this is for Rodney Terry and the Longhorns. Tre Johnson will make an immediate impact from day one, and it will be a show that Texas fans will not want to miss.”

As the No. 4 player overall, Johnson is tied as the third-highest rated recruit to sign with the Longhorns since 2004, behind Kevin Durant, who was No. 2 in 2006, and Mo Bamba, who was No. 3 in 2017, and tied with Avery Bradley in 2009 and Dillon Mitchell in 2022.

Last year at Lake Highlands, Johnson averaged 21.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, earning National Junior of the Year by MaxPreps and Texas Mr. Basketball recognition while converting 53 percent from the floor, including 42 percent from three, and 91 percent from the line.

The addition of Johnson moves the 2024 Texas recruiting class from No. 23 nationally to No. 4, ahead of North Carolina and Kansas.