4-star PG Arterio Morris includes Texas in Top 5

Chris Beard and his staff remain in the mix with yet another elite in-state talent, as four-star point guard Arterio Morris is down to a top five featuring Texas, Georgia, Oregon, Kansas and Florida.

Originally from Memphis, Morris was previously committed to the Tigers, so it’s notable that Penny Hardaway’s program didn’t survive the cut this time around.

Last season, Morris starred for and led Dallas Kimball to a state tournament apperance, but moving forward, he’ll be transferring to Lewisville iSchool, where he’ll share the court with Texas priority target Keyonte George, who also named the Horns in his top five on Thursday.

As far as Texas is concerned, besides the clear need for a new point guard of the future — even if it’s only for a season or two considering Morris’ NBA upside — Morris has a strong relationship with assistant Jerrance Howard, who was previously a long-time assistant on Bill Self’s staff at Kansas.

Can those factors, as well as the fact that he’ll soon be sharing the court with another key Texas target in George, be enough to swing things in the Horns’ favor as this recruitment continues? Beard and the Longhorns are still looking for their first pledge in the 2022 class.

A 6’4, 190-pound prospect, Morris is ranked as the nation’s No. 65 player, No. 13 point guard and as the No. 10 player in Texas, per the 247Sports Composite.