Longhorns Country

Longhorns Signee A.J. Johnson Decommits from Program, Will Pursue Pro Career

Already experiencing major roster turnover, the Texas Longhorns have taken another big blow.
Zach Dimmitt|
Longhorns Signee A.J. Johnson Decommits from Program, Will Pursue Pro Career
Longhorns Signee A.J. Johnson Decommits from Program, Will Pursue Pro Career

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Texas Longhorns

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas Longhorns have received another major blow at the start of the first full offseason under new head coach Rodney Terry.

Texas 2023 signee and Southern California Academy (Castaic, CA) guard A.J. Johnson has chosen to decommit from the program in order to pursue professional opportunities, per reports Thursday from ESPN.

Johnson will now begin playing in Australia's NBL for the Illawarra Hawks. He will need to be granted permission to be released from his National Letter of Intent to officially begin this process.

Per 247Sports' rankings, Johnson is a five-star talent and the No. 1 overall player in California. He was set to arrive to the Forty Acres this fall alongside fellow five-star Ron Holland. The pair were the only two signees for Texas in the 2023 class, but now the Longhorns are down to just one.

“I just knew about Texas my whole life," Johnson had told On3 upon committing and signing on Nov. 21. "Like Kevin Durant went there, they have had so many pros that went there. Their NIL is crazy right now, like just their marketing of players and everything. Texas is such a big school."

The Longhorns are already experiencing major roster turnover, having lost guards Marcus Carr and Sir'Jabari Rice and forwards Timmy Allen and Christian Bishop. All will be leaving due to losing their eligibility. Additionally, guard Tyrese Hunter and Dillon Mitchell have both declared for the 2023 NBA Draft, leaving their returns in question. Guards Arterio Morris and Rowan Brumbaugh also entered the transfer portal.

Terry and staff will have some major work to do with the long offseason still ahead.

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

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