Texas men’s basketball is days away from tip off against Ohio State, but is already in the win column for the weekend. Four-star center John Clark announced his commitment to the Longhorns over Houston, Kansas, and Texas A&M on Friday.

“I chose Texas because I felt like it was home out of any other school that was recruiting me,” Clark told Horns247. “And then the coaches, the players, the alumni players, the campus, the culture is something I want to be a part of.”

Clark a standout player at Link Academy in Missouri is originally from Houston. He grew up with a stuffed animal longhorn, cheering for Texas.

“It felt like a dream come true to be honest,” he said. “I grew up watching them and idolizing Kevin Durant. Being where he was is just a blessing.” 

At 6-foot-9, 210 pounds, Texas will be able to move Clark around as it needs.

“Well, they’re playing like position-less basketball,” he said. “From all the players they developed, I fit well in their system with my versatility in the 4-5 spot.”

Clark has grown close with the Longhorns coaching staff and is excited to play under Rodney Terry.

“They did an excellent job recruiting me,” Clark said. “They’ve been recruiting me since I was a sophomore. The recruitment, when they were able to directly call me it’s skyrocketed. And it was good ever since and getting better.”

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Clark plays at Link, which is were star freshman Tre Johnson prepped before coming to the Forty Acres.

“When I went on my official visit we talked about some things about Texas,” Clark said. “He was like ‘If you want that platform to showcase yourself, then this is the school to come to.'”

Clark is ranked the No. 5 center and the No. 40 overall player in the country, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

He’s the first commitment for Texas in the class of 2025.

Here’s Clark’s 247Sports evaluation, via Adam Finkelstein: 

“Clark is a budding versatile big man with inside-out tools. Already 230 pounds, he has broad shoulders and a naturally strong frame that should only further sculpt and define in the coming years. He measured 6-foot-8 in shoes, with a long 7-foot wingspan. Clark is athletically gifted for a player this size, able to run the floor with fluid strides and elevate with ease inside the lane.

Clark has naturally soft hands and touch, as well as some agility for his size. He can put the ball on the floor, flashes a passing instinct, and also has some clear long-term shooting potential. However, he’s often inefficient with his face-up game right now because of his tendency to hunt highlight plays or unnecessarily overcomplicate things (he averaged 0.7 assists vs. 3 turnovers this July). Inside, he has clear potential with his back to the basket too, and yet lacks a reliable go-to move. He can also fade away from contact a bit, instead of going right through it. He has a wealth of potential as a roller when he’s paired with more dynamic guards.

Clark’s best asset may be his rebounding, where he can both elevate and snatch boards in traffic, and even use both hands to tip 50/50 balls to himself (8.8 rebounds per game). Defensively, he’s not yet a great rim protector and does not close-out well to the perimeter, but can slide for a few steps when he is set and balanced.

Overall, Clark is a very intriguing long-term prospect because his rebounding is a translatable niche from day one and he has all the tools to be a very versatile offensive threat as he continues to develop his frame and become more efficient. While Clark’s defensive motor may need to rev up at times, he also owns all the physical tools to be just fine on that end too.”