Texas Longhorns Schedule Official Visit With No. 2 Point Guard in 2026 Class

The Texas Longhorns are remaining active at the high school recruiting ranks under new head coach Sean Miller.

Mar 4, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark (12) reacts during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

AUSTIN -- The Texas Longhorns have scheduled an official visit with one of the best players in the 2026 recruiting class.

Per reports from 247Sports' Travis Branham, four-star guard Deron Rippey Jr. will take an official visit to Texas on Sept. 19. He also has OVs set with North Carolina (Aug. 31) and Alabama (Sept. 12).

Rippey is a product of Blair Academy in Blairstown, NJ. He is the No. 2 point guard and the No. 17 overall player in the 2026 class, per 247Sports' rankings.

Texas also hosted four-star guard Austin Goosby for an unofficial visit in June and have an official visit scheduled with 2026 four-star forward Bryson Howard, son of one-time NBA All-Star Josh Howard.

Top-20 recruit Deron Rippey Jr., one of the top point guards in the 2026 class, has scheduled official visits to North Carolina and Texas, he tells @On3Recruits.

Dates for each trip / Story (On3+): https://t.co/ef28vGOmG6 pic.twitter.com/iijeukC491

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) June 26, 2025

High School Recruiting

Miller said at SEC Spring Meetings that recruiting the high school ranks is a priority when it comes to building a roster. He hasn't had the full ability to do that this offseason while adjusting to the new job but it's clear what the vision is for the program moving forward.

"We want to recruit the high school players moving forward. It's a blend of transfers, retention and incoming high school players," Miller said. "You can develop them, you can retain them. And we have such an amazing state that I don't think it would be in our best interest to not make the state of Texas the best high school players in the state a huge priority. To not do that, I don't know if you can maximize who we are as basketball program and university."

Should Rippey Jr. commit to Texas, he would be the first commit for the Longhorns in the 2026 recruiting class.

According to 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein, Rippey Jr. impressed during a recent event that featured many Power-level college coaches, including Miller.

"Rippey has always been a two-way guard, who impacts the game as much on the defensive end as he does the offensive end," Finkelstein wrote. "We also saw evidence of clear improvement with his shooting this weekend, which was once considered a liability ... While there were some moments he could have asserted himself more, it was a session that showed largely positive developments.

The Longhorns will begin the 2025-26 season in Charlotte against the Duke Blue Devils at the Spectrum Center. Texas also has non-conference games at home against Virginia (Dec. 3, ACC/SEC Challenge) and UMKC (Nov. 15) along with a road game vs. the UConn Huskies on Dec. 12.