TCU’s Punch to Texas

David Punch, TCU’s leading scorer and top shot blocker, has committed to Texas out of the transfer portal. (sports.yahoo.com) Punch started all 34 games for TCU in 2025-26 and averaged 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks a game. ESPN lists the 6-foot-7, 246-pound sophomore as having two seasons of eligibility left. (espn.com) TCU announced on March 9 that Punch was an All-Big 12 honorable mention selection, and he entered the portal on April 9 before picking Texas three days later. TCU’s student outlet reported he led the Horned Frogs in points, rebounds, steals, blocks and field goal percentage. (gofrogs.com, tcu360.com) For Texas, the move gives new coach Sean Miller another portal addition as he rebuilds the roster for 2026-27. Texas added former Colorado guard Isaiah Johnson on April 11, giving Miller one backcourt pickup and now a proven Big 12 frontcourt scorer. (texaslonghorns.com, espn.com) Texas is adding Punch after a season in which Miller took the Longhorns to the Sweet 16 in his first year. ESPN reported Friday that starting center Matas Vokietaitis is also returning to Austin, giving Texas another interior piece alongside Punch. (espn.com, fox7austin.com) For TCU, the departure strips out a player who helped drive its March run. Yahoo Sports reported Punch helped the Horned Frogs reach the second round of the 2026 NCAA tournament before entering the portal last week. (sports.yahoo.com) Punch is also staying in-state. On3 and USA Today’s Longhorns Wire both identified him as a Harker Heights, Texas, product, which means his move from Fort Worth to Austin keeps one of the conference’s more productive forwards in the Big 12. (on3.com, longhornswire.usatoday.com) The immediate appeal is straightforward: Texas just added a forward who produced every night in the same league he is staying in. After 34 starts at TCU, Punch arrives in Austin with numbers that match the role Texas needed to fill. (espn.com, sports.yahoo.com)