Texas basketball executed ‘aggressive’ plan in the NCAA transfer portal

March 25, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller addresses the media in a press conference during a practice session ahead of the west regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images This is no longer Miller’s first rodeo on the Forty Acres. On the day that Miller was named the 27th head basketball coach for the Texas Longhorns last year, the NCAA transfer portal window opened.

It was another month until Miller officially announced his five assistant coaches, general manager, strength coach, and chief of staff. “It was just really a crazy time in college sports in general, so I think we all just tried to land at the new place that we were at and get one foot on the ground,” Miller said on The Field of 68 on Monday. The team that Miller and his staff ultimately built after retaining a significant portion of Rodney Terry’s roster went through up and downs during the 2025-26 season before making an unexpected run from the First Four to the Sweet 16.

Now the program feels more steady as Miller enters his second year in Austin. “It’s really healthy to have the perspective of being at that place for a year, being in that league for a year — you’re just much more sure footed,” Miller said. “I think you know at that point what it’s really about, what you need to be successful, and to some degree, you learn a lot about the place that you’re now at.

” More importantly, the Longhorns had a plan the staff was able to develop heading into the postseason and finalize in the 12 days between the season-ending loss to the Boilermakers and the portal window opening, which moved to after the national championship game instead of happening during the NCAA Tournament. “We really wanted to be super aggressive right out of the gates, knowing that we had some real needs to fill,” Miller said. The aggressiveness paid off — Texas signed five players from the portal to secure a group that 247Sports ranked third nationally in total points and third nationally in average player rating, led by rising junior TCU transfer forward David Punch, the No.