Texas Targets Arkansas Prep Star Bryson Warren with $3M NIL Offer

Longhorns coach Sean Miller looks to pluck another top transfer from the Natural State, this time a former high school phenom who skipped college for the G League.

Apr. 12, 2026 at 12:54am

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A fragmented, cubist-style painting depicting the action and energy of a basketball game, with sharp geometric shapes and planes of color representing the players and court.Texas' aggressive pursuit of Arkansas prep star Bryson Warren reflects the Longhorns' financial muscle and the challenges facing the Razorbacks in keeping top in-state talent home.Fayetteville Today

Texas basketball coach Sean Miller is reportedly pursuing former Arkansas high school star Bryson Warren, offering the NBA G League standout a lucrative NIL deal worth around $3 million to join the Longhorns. Warren, who was the Arkansas High School Player of the Year in 2021 before skipping college to turn pro, is now weighing a return to the amateur ranks after two seasons in the G League. The Longhorns have already landed two other top transfer portal targets, Colorado's Isaiah Johnson and TCU's David Punch, as Miller looks to reload his roster for a potential title run.

Why it matters

This pursuit of Warren by Texas highlights the growing financial power of the Longhorns' basketball program under Sean Miller, who is willing to spend big to land elite talent. It also shows the challenges facing Arkansas, which has struggled to retain some of the state's top basketball prospects in recent years as other programs with deeper pockets come calling.

The details

Texas is viewed as the frontrunner to land Warren, a 21-year-old guard who averaged 19.8 points, 5.0 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals for the Westchester (N.Y.) Knicks in the G League this past season. The Longhorns have already added two other top transfer portal targets in Colorado's Isaiah Johnson and TCU's David Punch, and they are now targeting Warren with a reported NIL offer in the $3 million range. That kind of financial firepower is difficult for Arkansas to match, as the Razorbacks have struggled to retain some of the state's top basketball talent in recent years.

  • In 2021, Bryson Warren was named the Arkansas High School Player of the Year after leading Little Rock Central to the 6A state title game.
  • After his standout high school career, Warren opted to forego college and turn pro, becoming the first Arkansan to go straight from high school to the NBA G League in 2023.
  • This past season, the 21-year-old Warren averaged 19.8 points, 5.0 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals for the Westchester (N.Y.) Knicks in the G League.

The players

Sean Miller

The head coach of the Texas Longhorns basketball team, who is aggressively pursuing top transfer targets like Bryson Warren to rebuild the Longhorns' roster.

Bryson Warren

A former Arkansas high school star who was named the state's Player of the Year in 2021 before skipping college to turn pro in the NBA G League, and is now being targeted by Texas with a lucrative NIL offer.

Eric Musselman

The former head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks, who heavily recruited Bryson Warren out of high school before the player opted to turn pro.

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What they’re saying

“There was a time when Arkansas fans were on top of the world thanks to all the Tyson chicken money flowing into the program. The Razorbacks are still in the financial upper echelon, but more schools have developed comparable bankrolling in the two years since Calipari's arrival.”

— Michael Main, Author

What’s next

If Warren decides to commit to Texas, it would be a major blow to Arkansas' efforts to keep the state's top basketball talent at home. The Razorbacks will need to work quickly to try to get back in the mix for Warren before he makes his final decision.

The takeaway

This pursuit of Bryson Warren by Texas highlights the growing financial power of the Longhorns' basketball program under Sean Miller, who is willing to spend big to land elite talent. It also shows the challenges facing Arkansas, which has struggled to retain some of the state's top basketball prospects in recent years as other programs with deeper pockets come calling.