Texas Basketball: AJ Johnson commits to Longhorns, Chris Beard

On3 Consensus five-star recruit AJ Johnson has committed to Texas.

Interestingly enough, Johnson signed his National Letter of Intent to Chris Beard and Co. last week, during the early signing period, but waited until Monday to make his pledge public.

The 6-foot-5 class of 2023 point guard chose the Longhorns over offers from LSU, USC, Louisville, NC State, and others.

Scouting five-star point guard AJ Johnson

Johnson began his senior year of high school at Donda Academy before it closed down last month after antisemitic remarks by Kanye West, the school’s founder. Johnson has since enrolled at SoCal Academy in Castaic, California.

Johnson ranks as the No. 16 overall prospect in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Consensus, the average ranking from all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 3 point guard in the country. On3’s evaluators are even higher on him, ranking him 7th nationally in the class.

Johnson on his commitment to Texas

“I’m going to Texas,” Johnson said. “I chose Texas because I have seen what they do every day and the people around them. I just feel like it’s where I’ll be the most comfortable. Also, I chose Texas because of how they let their guards go and their fan base. The city of Austin is lit.”

What type of player is Texas getting in AJ Johnson, in his own words?

“The program is going to get a player with a winning mentality, a very exciting and electric play style that’s gonna turn Austin UP!”

On3 NIL Valuation

Johnson currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $281,000, which ranks 24th overall in high school basketball. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

Scouting Summary

AJ Johnson is a jet-fast point guard with elite end-to-end speed. He has great length and good size as a lead guard. Johnson will need to add weight; he is very skinny at this point. But his burst and explosion get him to his spots. Johnson is decisive getting downhill, using his dribble to attack the paint. Johnson has upside on defense with his length and quick twitch. The pull-up jump shot is a weapon in the mid-range. He is an above-average shooter that could continue to tighten. His natural tools are impressive, and as he continues to add weight, his ceiling is as high as any player in the 2023 class. – On3’s Jamie Shaw