Sean Miller and his staff have retained the centerpiece for the 2026-27 roster by securing another season on the Forty Acres from rising junior center Matas Vokietaitis, the big Lithuanian’s agents told DraftExpress on Friday.
Last week, Vokietaitis told the Houston Chronicle that he was unsure if he was going to return to Texas.
The 7’0, 255-pounder with two seasons of eligibility remaining was a massive priority for the Longhorns to retain because of his impact on the court as a sophomore and because of his tremendous value had he chosen to enter the NCAA transfer portal for a second straight year.
“With the improvement Vokietaitis showed over the course of the season, and his coveted size and physicality, it’s safe to say he would have been one of the most hotly pursued big men in the portal outside of Flory Bidunga,” Givony wrote on Twitter.
“He’ll draw significant NBA attention next season.”
Vokietaitis took a significant leap forward after transferring to Texas from Florida Atlantic following a promising freshman season that earned AAC Freshman of the Year recognition, ranking second on the team in rebounding (5.5 rpg), third in blocks (26), and fourth in scoring (10.2 ppg) in 17.7 minutes per game.
A physical force in the paint, Vokietaitis averaged 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during the 2025-26 season for Texas and drew fouls at a high rate to get to the free-throw line an average of 7.9 times per game.
Because Vokietaitis lacks leaping ability that limits him as a shot blocker and rim protector and struggles with foul trouble due to maturity and discipline issues, he wasn’t really a candidate to declare for the 2026 NBA Draft and remain in it, but his ability to impact games in the post and put opponents in foul trouble does make him one of the most valuable college big men in the country.
Known as a hard worker with superlative conditioning, Vokietaitis has untapped upside he’s capable of unlocking because of his work ethic, including increasing his comfort finishing with his dominant right hand in the post, becoming a more consistent free-throw shooting after hitting at 66.9 percent, and showing more discipline on both ends of the court to avoid foul trouble.
From a roster management standpoint, retaining Vokietaitis allows Miller and his staff to build the rest of the roster around the impactful center and instant-impact contributors from the 2026 recruiting class like guards Austin Goosby and Bo Odgen.
It’s huge news, literally and figuratively.
