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Texas lands five-star 2016 power forward Allen

2016 McDonald's All American Game

CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 30: Jarret Allen #31 of the West team dunks against the East team during the 2016 McDonalds’s All American Game on March 30, 2016 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)

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With Marques Bolden having committed to Duke, there was one elite front court prospect on the board in the Class of 2016 who had yet to make his college decision. 6-foot-10 power forward Jarrett Allen, ranked 15th in the class by Rivals.com, was down to Texas and Houston as possible destinations as of late April (Kansas was also viewed as a possibility earlier this spring).

Friday morning he made his decision in low-key fashion, simply signing a grant-in-aid agreement to join Shaka Smart’s program at Texas. News of Allen’s signing was first reported by Scout.com.

By keeping Allen, who attended St. Stephen’s Episcopal HS in Austin and was a McDonald’s All-American, in town the Longhorns have wrapped up one of the top recruiting classes in the country. Allen joins a freshman class that includes guards Andrew Jones and Jacob Young, and 6-foot-11 center James Banks.

Texas also made some additions on the transfer front, with former Tulane forward Dylan Osetkowski having to sit out the 2016-17 season and former Little Rock forward Mareik Isom being eligible to play immediately.

Given the amount of production lost in the front court, Texas needed one more addition to join Banks and holdover Shaquille Cleare. And in Allen, the Longhorns add a talented prospect whose length and athleticism make him a good fit for what Texas will look to do moving forward when it comes to front court prospects.