Texas' Marcus Spears Jr. makes immediate impact in debut - and he has plenty of freshman company

Marcus Spears Jr. made an immediate impression in his Texas debut during the Longhorns’ 109-59 rout of Chicago State on Monday night at the Moody Center. The 6-foot-9 freshman, from Frisco, was eligible for the 2026 class after reclassifying from 2027, enrolling early in June at age 17 and avoiding the 19-year NBA draft cutoff for next year. He didn’t start but scored 11 points off the bench, matching Mo Bamba’s debut output with four blocked shots. Texas was seventh-ranked, and Spears’ family—including his mother Aiysha, a former LSU and Washington Mystics player—drew attention during ESPN’s NFL Live segment.