Tre Johnson, Nic Codie are on campus with Jamie Vinson, most of the 2024-25 roster joining them today

Last week at SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Fla., Texas men’s basketball head coach Rodney Terry was asked about the arrival date for what was then a two-man 2024 class of Tre Johnson and Nic Codie. After losing 2023 signees Ron Holland and AJ Johnson during the spring ahead of their scheduled enrollment, and with 2024 signee Cam Scott opting out of his letter of intent earlier this spring, Terry spoke sensibly about how he couldn’t talk about the hay being in the barn quite yet.

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“We’re trying to get to that point,” Terry said May 28 with a chuckle. “We haven’t quite got there yet, but for sure. In this day and time, kids can (leave) until they get on your campus, get going, and get acclimated where they are. They have choices that they can make on a regular basis to do something elsewhere. But it all gets down to relationships, who you trust, why you were involved in those situations to begin with. We’d like to think that next week, we’ll have all the guys we intended to have on campus arrive.”

For the Longhorns’ 2024 class, one ranked No. 24 in the nation according to On3, Terry can breathe much easier and not worry about a repeat of last year. A Texas spokesperson told Inside Texas on Wednesday that Johnson and Codie arrived on the 40 Acres yesterday for the start of the first term of UT’s summer semester on June 6. Jamie Vinson, a recent addition to the Longhorns’ 2024 class, will join them today.

In addition, the Longhorns’ returning players arrive today to begin preparation for the 2024-25 season. Most portal additions save for one or two fulfilling academic requirements at previous schools will join them, setting the stage for an important summer for Texas men’s basketball as it embarks on life in a new league.

Despite the 2024 high school class’s meager ranking, 6th among SEC schools according to On3, Johnson’s addition carries a lot of weight as the jewel of the class. He arrives as a Five-Star Plus+ prospect ranked within the top-10 of all the major services. Johnson most recently dazzled at the McDonald’s All-American Game, scoring 17 points, adding four rebounds, and handing out three assists against some of the best players in the country. Johnson was 5-for-7 from three-point land on the night.

Johnson played his senior season at Link Academy in Branson, Mo. Before transferring, he led Lake Highlands to the 2023 UIL 6A state championship and earned championship game MVP honors in the Wildcats’ win over Beaumont United. Johnson became one of the most sought-after recruits in the nation during his sophomore season, averaging 24 points, six rebounds, and two assists per game.

Terry credited relationships, not only with Tre but also with his father Richard Johnson Jr., as part of the reason why the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 7 overall prospect chose the Longhorns over Baylor last November. As a result of those bonds, Texas will have one of the best scorers in high school basketball on its roster for its first season in the Southeastern Conference.

“Tre Johnson is a freshman that we were alluding to that’s going to come in physically ready to play and can play with older players,” Terry said. “He comes in as a guy, who I think over the last 10 years of recruiting Texas high school basketball, is just a natural born scorer. He’s also a willing passer who wants to win at a very high level.”

Joining Johnson on campus is Codie, a product of Carrollton (Texas) Newman Smith who finished as the No. 1 player in Texas according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. As a junior, Codie averaged 16 points and nine rebounds for the District 9-5A champions.

“Really good young player, best player in the state of Texas this past season,” Terry said.

Codie suffered a knee injury in mid-February that sidelined him for the remainder of the 2023-24 high school season. He’s since worked to recover, a process Terry believes is going well.

“Don’t hold me to it, but I think he’s ahead of schedule right now and doing what he needs to do,” Terry said. “Any time you’re coming back from an injury as a young player, it’s going to take some time. We’re thinking maybe the end of the summer, first part of the fall we’re going to have him back in a pretty good place. Everything’s going great for him in terms of the surgery and hopefully the recovery continues to go in that same direction.”

Vinson, an Austin area product who committed to Texas on Monday, is the No. 206 overall prospect, the No. 45 power forward, and the No. 8 player in Virginia according to the On3 Industry Ranking. On3 ranks Vinson as the No. 49 power forward and the No. 10 player in Virginia.

The high school trio will join returners Kadin Shedrick, Chendall Weaver, Ze’Rik Onyema, and Devon Pryor plus portal additions Jordan Pope, Julian Larry, Tramon Mark, Jayson Kent, and Malik Presley at the Longhorns’ practice facility ahead of preparations for Terry’s second season as permanent head coach.

The roster features a blend of experienced transfers, developmental portal prospects, ready-made freshmen, and developmental first-year players (it also has room for one more scholarship player). It takes additions from all those categories to build a men’s basketball roster, and Terry will continue to go after top prep prospects like he did with the 2024 class as part of that process.

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“We feel like we can go out and attract the best high school kids in the country,” Terry said. “We’re always going to recruit the high school level and try to get the best high school kids, starting within the state then working outside the state nationally because we can with our brand.”

His efforts in the high school ranks in the 2024 class netted Terry an elite scorer, the top-ranked player in Texas, and a 6-foot-10 big man with local roots.