Former Kansas basketball signee Chris Johnson commits to Texas

Former Kansas basketball commit Chris Johnson announced his intention to play for an interconference school today.

Chris Johnson was expected to join the Kansas Jayhawks on campus earlier this month, but he surprised the coaching staff by decommitting last minute. Now, he will head to Austin to play for KU’s interconference rival, Texas.

Johnson was among four signees in KU’s recruiting class alongside Elmarko Jackson, Marcus Adams Jr., and Jamari McDowell. He was ranked the No. 53 player in 2023 via the 247 Sports Composite.

Heading into his senior year, Johnson transferred to Montverde Academy, the No. 2 ranked high school team in the nation. According to MaxPreps, Johnson averaged 5.9 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game across 25 contests.

READ: Johnson decommitting opens up roster spot

He will join a guard room that recently lost Sir’Jabari Rice and Marcus Carr. Texas returns Tyrese Hunter for his senior year after he withdrew his name from the NBA Draft.

Kansas essentially traded the rights to Johnson for transfer Arterio Morris, who spent his freshman year with the Longhorns. In 36 games, Morris averaged 4.6 points and 1.4 rebounds. He figures to have a sizeable role for the Jayhawks this season, whether in the starting lineup or off the bench.

Morris also had something to do with Johnson’s decommitting from the university. Johnson and his mentors were upset that KU had recruited over him, adding the likes of Nick Timberlake in the transfer portal as well. Without a clear path to playing time, he decided to head elsewhere for a clean slate.

Johnson chose Texas over Washington and Arkansas. There is no love lost between Johnson and Kansas, but we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. Everyone should make their calendars when Johnson and Texas face the Jayhawks in the conference play in 2024.

Follow @ThroughThePhog on Twitter and like our page @throughthephog on Facebook for more Kansas Jayhawks coverage.