Texas' Dailyn Swain Named Contender for Prestigious National Award

Texas Longhorns star Dailyn Swain was one of 10 players named to the Julius Erving Award’s midseason top 10.

Texas Longhorns guard Dailyn Swain (3) and head coach Sean Miller celebrate a win against the Vanderbilt Commodores after the game at Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Texas Longhorns orward/guard Dailyn Swain has had a spectacular season. As a junior, he has met the expectations he held as a four-star recruit out of Ohio in the Class of 2023.

In his first season in burnt orange, he has become one of the Longhorns’ star players, showing off his versatility as a scorer and playmaker.

His success was recognized by the Naismith Hall of Fame, which named him to the midseason top 10 candidates for the 2026 Julius Erving Award.

Dailyn Swain Among Midseason Candidates for Julius Erving Award

Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain (3) takes a shot over Auburn Tigers forward Sebastian Williams-Adams (33) during the first half at Neville Arena. | John Reed-Imagn Images

Through the team’s first 23 games, Swain leads Texas in total and per-game scoring (408, 17.7), rebounding (168, 7.3), assists (78, 3.4) and steals (42, 1.8). He has appeared and started every game, recording five double-doubles while eclipsing double-digit points in all but two games.

In SEC play, his game has been even better. He is averaging 21.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals. He is inside the top five in scoring, rebounding and steals in league play this season.

For his outstanding season, he was named one of 10 midseason candidates for the 2026 Julius Erving Award, given annually to the top small forward in college basketball. Since its debut in 2015, no Texas Longhorn has ever won the award, and only one SEC forward has ever earned the distinction.

Swain was named to the preseason watchlist for the Julius Erving Award in October. It was the fourth time in five seasons a Texas player earned that distinction. Timmy Allen was on the watch list for the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons, while Arthur Kaluma was named to the 2024–25 watch list.

Jonathan Holmes was also named to the inaugural 15-man watch list on Feb. 18, 2015, though Swain is the first Longhorn to be named to the Julius Erving Award Midseason Top 10. No Longhorn has won the award.

Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain (3) takes a shot over Auburn Tigers guard Kevin Overton (1) during the first half at Neville Arena. | John Reed-Imagn Images

Swain, known for his tacful and versatile scoring ability, is shooting 57.7% from the floor this season and 59.5% in SEC play. He is showing his ability to get to the basket, leading the SEC in converted two-pointers (126) while shooting nearly 80% from the line on 5+ attempts per game.

He has helped lead Texas to a 14–9 start, 5–5 in SEC play, including signature ranked wins over No. 23 NC State, No. 13 Alabama, No. 10 Vanderbilt and No. 21 Georgia. With eight games left in the Longhorns' schedule, Swain is looking to make a strong finish ahead of the SEC Tournament in hopes of securing a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

After a standout, come-from-behind win over Oklahoma, Swain said to the media that he wants to be one of the great players that Texas head coach Sean Miller has had.

“I'm just trying to set the tone for my teammates. He expects a lot out of me, and I obviously don't want to let him down. He's had great players, and I want to be one of those when my college career is done.”

As of Feb. 3, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Texas projected as the last team in among his field of 68 for the 2026 March Madness tournament. The Longhorns are currently projected as a play-in team for the 11th seed, facing off with Ohio State, another program on Lunardi's bubble.

Fan voting will begin on Friday, Feb. 6, at the Hoophall Awards website. The leading vote-getter will receive one additional vote from the selection committee. The five finalists will be revealed in March, and the winner will be announced in late March/early April