In Shaka Smart's first season as head coach, the Texas Longhorns haven't gotten off to the greatest of starts, as they are 5-3 with no big wins to date. Texas wasn't expected to be all that good this year, and it is going to take time for Smart to get his recruits in there and install his system, but he hopes to speed up the process by bringing in a great 2016 recruiting class. As of now, Smart has two commits for 2016, and Texas ranks as the 33rd best class, but Smart wants to add to that and will try with four-star guard Andrew Jones, who is set to visit Texas this weekend, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
Jones will be in town Saturday evening when the Longhorns take on one of the best teams in the nation, North Carolina, and he is excited about seeing that game. Unfortunately for Texas, it might not be easy to make a good impression on Jones as the Longhorns will likely be overmatched by a very good Tar Heels team that was ranked first in the preseason polls.
Jones has already taken official visits to both Louisville and Arizona, and experts feel that Arizona has the slight edge to land him over Texas, according to 247 Sports, so the program has some ground to gain this weekend. Jones is from Irving, Texas, which is in the Longhorns' favor, and they have also had him as one of their top targets in the class all along.
Smart has gotten two top 100 recruits signed for 2016 in center James Banks and point guard Jacob Young, but a commitment from Jones would be Smart's best get yet. Jones is a 6-foot-4 shooting guard who scores extremely well, is capable of playing the point and has seen his stock rise in the past year with his play on the AAU circuit.
Jones is one of the best players from the 2016 class that has yet to commit, as he is ranked the 35th best player overall and the ninth best shooting guard, according to ESPN. Jones isn't the only 2016 recruit the Longhorns are after right now, as they have their eyes on five-star power forward Jarrett Allen too, but Jones is their main focus as he comes in for a visit this weekend. This is the last official visit Jones has scheduled and he could be nearing a decision, so this weekend is huge for Smart and the Longhorns as they seem to have some ground to make up to get the talented guard.
