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Report: Matas Vokietaitis returning to Texas for 2026-27 season

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz04/10/26NickSchultz_7

Matas Vokietaitis is staying in Austin. The Texas big man is running it back with the Longhorns in 2026-27, DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony reported.

Vokietaitis led the charge for Texas in Year 1 under Sean Miller, helping the program reach the Sweet Sixteen. He averaged 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds, ranking second on the roster in both categories, while leading the Longhorns with roughly a block per game.

Vokietaitis arrived in Austin this past year from Florida Atlantic, where he started 20 games out of 34 appearances as a freshman. He averaged 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Owls before entering the transfer portal.

Retaining Matas Vokietaitis was an important part of Miller’s plan as he gets ready for Year 2 at Texas. Guard Dailyn Swain is another priority, and while he declared for the NBA Draft, he is maintaining his eligibility – leaving the door open for a return to the Longhorns next year. Swain led Texas with 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game as a junior after arriving from Xavier, where he played for Miller from 2023-25.

Texas put together an impressive debut season under Miller, finishing with a 21-15 overall record and a 9-9 record in SEC play. The Longhorns played in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament, but after taking down NC State, rattled off a run to the Sweet Sixteen.

Following the season-ending loss to Purdue, Miller reflected on the journey of this season. He specifically noted the way his team came together, even with so many new faces, to advance to the second weekend of March Madness.

“It feels really good to be a part of what we did,” Miller said. “That’s one thing that I would say. I remember being in Maui over Thanksgiving and having gone there a number of times, it’s an amazing trip and experience. Playing three games in three days on national television in this wonderful, beautiful place. We went there this year and I remember thinking on the trip, ‘God, nobody knows each other.’ It’s just the circumstances of being so new.

“That was our starting point but these guys kept working together. I think we definitely grew closer together. Obviously, getting to this round is not easy. I think it’s an accomplishment of itself.”