Houston, led by head coach Kelvin Sampson, will have back-to-back Big 12 titles to defend next season as they look to usher in a new era of Houston basketball following their loss in the national championship game. They say goodbye to tons of experience but welcome in their most talented recruiting class, ranked No. 4 in the nation by 247Sports.
Sampson isn’t starting there—he’s already looking forward to the 2026 recruiting class. The Cougars are targeting five-star shooting guard Caleb Holt out of Grayson, Georgia.
Kelvin Sampson, Houston Targeting Five-Star SG Caleb Holt
Due to the program’s success on the floor and Sampson’s proven track record of consistently developing future NBA players, the Cougars are reaching never-before-seen heights on the recruiting trail as their 2025 class is among the country’s highest rated.
While there are talks about the 2025 class, Sampson is already looking ahead, having already visited Georgia native Caleb Holt. According to the 247Sports composite and ESPN100 rankings, Holt is the No. 1 shooting guard and No. 3 overall prospect for the class of 2026.
Holt was invited to the Adidas 3SSB showcase, where he averaged 24 PPG over the weekend.
5 ⭐️ Caleb Holt (no. 7 ESPN 💯) took over! He averaged ~24 PPG this weekend 🔥 pic.twitter.com/W1Y6hTsxRA
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) May 4, 2025
Standing at 6’5″, Holt, who plays for Grayson High School in Atlanta, has not narrowed his college choices. According to 247Sports, Holt currently has around 20 offers, including Houston, Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, and UConn.
While Houston is known to favor experience, Sampson has shown a willingness to play young talent before, and he’ll have more than ever at his disposal next season due to the talented incoming 2025 class.
Houston Seeing Success on the Recruiting Trail
The Cougars received commitments from guard/forward Bryce Jackson, point guard Kingston Flemings, shooting guard Isiah Harwell, and forward/center Chris Cenac Jr. They make up the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history.
Cenac is a five-star recruit, ranked No. 7 nationally and the top player in Missouri. He chose Houston over offers from Arkansas, Kentucky, Auburn, Baylor, Tennessee, and LSU. Harwell is a five-star recruit and is ranked 16th nationally. He is also rated as the No. 4 shooting guard in the class and the second-best player in Utah.
RELATED: Can Houston Men’s Transfer Portal Additions Lead Them to the 2025-26 National Championship?
Flemings is a five-star recruit, rated the No. 3 point guard in his class and the top recruit from Texas.
He chose the Cougars over Arkansas, Gonzaga, Texas, and Texas Tech, while Jackson is ranked 200th nationally and 32nd in his position. He is also ranked 16th in the state of Texas. He is a three-star recruit and was the first to commit out of the group.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
