Shaka Smart’s presence is coming to a close for the Texas men’s basketball team, with graduate student Brock Cunningham the only remaining Longhorn who was recruited by the former head coach.

A new era of Texas basketball is fully underway with head coach Chris Beard entering his second season in Austin. After utilizing the transfer portal to acquire graduate student Marcus Carr and seniors Christian Bishop, Timmy Allen and Dylan Disu last year, Beard has also played a key role in recruiting some of the highest rated high school basketball players.

The team will feature several new faces this year in freshmen Dillon Mitchell, Rowan Brumbaugh, Arterio Morris and Alex Anamekwe, all of whom were recruited by Beard and helped Texas land the No. 6 recruiting class in 2022.

With the new recruits officially signed and on campus, Beard has turned his attention to the class of 2023, keying in on a couple of five-stars from California in Andrej Stojakovic and AJ Johnson.

The two took their official visits on Sept. 9, staying in Austin an extra day to watch the Longhorns face off against the Crimson Tide on the gridiron. Former Texas men’s basketball star Kevin Durant paid a visit as well, helping Beard in his efforts to recruit the pair of top-25 recruits.

“(Durant’s) relationship with Texas basketball is real,” Beard said on Tuesday. “He invested so much time in his week here, he went above and beyond … He spent time in our locker room, he was hanging out at practice, he was getting shots up, he was checking in with us.”

Johnson was accompanied in Austin by his longtime friend and current Houston Rocket, Jalen Green. In addition to Durant and Green, former Longhorns Myles Turner and Mo Bamba were in attendance for the football game, also sharing a few words with the recruits.

Beard put together an exciting weekend for Johnson and Stojakovic. The combination of the hype around the Alabama game and the presence of NBA players could help the Longhorns win the two over.

“Coach Beard and Coach (Rodney) Terry have been recruiting me extremely hard and have made it clear that I am their top priority,” Stojakovic told On3.

Stojakovic announced his final four schools on Wednesday with Texas included, although four insiders suggest he is leaning toward UCLA, according to 247Sports. He also set an expected decision date of Oct. 31.

Johnson has yet to announce his final schools, but has taken official visits to Texas, North Carolina State, LSU and Louisville.

The Longhorns also recently had five-star Ron Holland, power forward from Duncanville, Texas, on campus for an official visit. Holland is currently the No. 10 recruit in the 2023 class, ranked higher than both Johnson and Stojakovic.

As it stands now, the Longhorns currently don’t have any commitments for the 2023 class, but that could change soon if Beard can successfully woo some of his targets. He’ll have all of October to keep a focus on recruiting before the season gets underway with the home opener against UTEP on Nov. 7.