Tramon Mark makes decision regarding future with Texas Longhorns
Sean Miller and the Texas Longhorns are holding onto a key piece of their roster heading into the 2025-26 season. Guard Tramon Mark announced his return to the Forty Acres, providing a major boost to Miller's squad as the new head coach prepares for his first season in Austin.
Mark, who transferred from Arkansas following the 2023–24 season, brings experience and production to the Longhorns' backcourt. Over four years at Arkansas and Houston, he has played in 107 career games, including 69 starts, while amassing 1,200 points (11.2 ppg) and 424 rebounds (4.0 rpg) in 2,881 minutes (26.9 mpg).
Advertisement
The 6-foot-6 guard shot 42.4 percent (406-of-957) from the field and 79.6 percent (289-of-363) from the free throw line during his collegiate career. He has scored in double figures 58 times, including 16 games with at least 20 points.
Mark led Arkansas in scoring last season, averaging 16.2 points per game, while also leading the team in steals (36) and minutes (32.5 mpg). Before his time in Fayetteville, he was a key contributor for Houston, starting all 37 games in 2022–23 and helping the Cougars reach the NCAA Sweet 16. As a freshman, he appeared in all 32 games during Houston's run to the 2021 NCAA Final Four.
Mark started 25 games in his 29 appearances this season.
Follow us on X/Twitter at @LonghornsWire.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Tramon Mark makes key decision amid Sean Miller era in Austin
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
5 hours ago
- New York Times
Astros mailbag: The catching situation, Jacob Melton's role and Miguel Ullola's arrival
HOUSTON — Hello, Astros fans. The American League West is earning its distinction as a mediocre division. The Athletics are miserable in a minor-league ballpark. The Texas Rangers have yet to reap the rewards of hiring a podcast host as their hitting coach. The Seattle Mariners have managed to lose eight of their past 11 games against teams including the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels. Advertisement As a result, the Astros have opened a 2 1/2-game lead after playing their most consistent stretch of baseball all season. Houston's pitching continues to excel, pairing with wonderful defense and aggressive, opportune base running to keep the team afloat in Yordan Alvarez's absence. Alvarez returning at full health is the biggest boost this ballclub could get, but general manager Dana Brown will still scour the trade market for another left-handed bat in addition to a starting pitcher and, perhaps, a leverage reliever. It is crazy to think Houston has enough prospect capital to complete all three tasks, prompting questions of what the club is prioritizing — or whether it is comfortable trading from its major-league roster. Seven weeks remain to answer those questions. Here are a few others that have you curious. Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length. Might there be any momentum building toward starting Victor Caratini over Yainer (Diaz)? As a switch hitter, (Caratini) addresses one of the lineup's more glaring weaknesses. He also has a better record at the plate than Yainer, who is supposed to be a bat-first catcher in his own right. — Ryan F. Diaz has been a disappointment, Ryan, but the Astros aren't yet prepared to make such a drastic decision. That Diaz has caught almost all of the innings thrown by Houston's co-aces can't be overlooked. Nor can the relatively low workload Caratini has logged throughout his nine-year career. According to FanGraphs, Diaz entered Sunday's game worth minus-0.1 wins above replacement. Only 13 other qualified American League hitters were worse, including Diaz's teammate Christian Walker. Diaz is the definition of a bat-first catcher, but boasts a .657 OPS after 215 at-bats. Defensively, Diaz's blocking numbers are worse than last season, and his pitch framing — never a strong suit in the first place — is still lacking. Advertisement Still, Diaz has caught every one of Hunter Brown's starts and all but one of Framber Valdez's. Pitcher preference is paramount, and it's difficult to envision manager Joe Espada breaking up those batteries. Ditto for Caratini and Lance McCullers Jr., a pairing Espada envisioned before McCullers' return. Caratini, 31, has caught more than 500 innings just twice as a major leaguer. He finished both of those seasons — 2021 and 2022 — with a 79 OPS+. He entered Sunday with 191 1/3 innings caught and a 102 OPS+. There is some worry about keeping Caratini healthy, which gives team officials pause on increasing his catching workload. The aforementioned offensive numbers speak for themselves, too. Adding left-handed hitting outfielder Jacob Melton has reduced the need to play Caratini every day just for balance. Alvarez's return will further eliminate the need, but Houston does want to keep Caratini involved. He is Espada's best pinch hit option late in games, too. Is it likely that we re-sign Framber (Valdez)? What would be a realistic contract? — John P. It is not likely, John. Valdez's price tag has climbed considerably during his past six starts, a stretch in which he's posted a 1.84 ERA and struck out 47 hitters across 44 innings. Valdez and his representatives at Octagon will likely use Max Fried's eight-year, $218 million contract with the New York Yankees as a framework for free-agent discussions. Fried is two months younger than Valdez, but the two southpaws have strikingly similar numbers in their careers. During spring training, Valdez said the Astros had not approached him or his representatives about a potential extension. Even if they had, nothing in owner Jim Crane's past suggested he would make the sort of offer that Valdez would seriously consider. Crane has never guaranteed a starting pitcher more than $85 million. Closer Josh Hader's five-year, $95 million contract remains the largest free-agent deal during his ownership tenure. It feels far-fetched that he would exceed either number to the extent Valdez will require. Advertisement Why do you think the Astros are last in the league in scoring first-inning runs? With the way it seems that they always go down in order to start games, are they not mentally prepared? — Michael S. Few fans will want to hear it, Michael, but it may just be one of those baseball oddities. Most nights, Houston is guaranteed to send an American League MVP candidate in Jeremy Peña, its leading home run hitter in Isaac Paredes and the face of its franchise in Jose Altuve up to bat in the first inning — an enviable setup the club fails to exploit. The Astros are the only team in baseball with fewer than 20 first-inning runs, but their problem is more far-reaching than just the first frame. Houston entered Sunday slashing .232/.290/.328 with a .618 OPS during its first look at a starting pitcher. No team in the sport has a lower slugging percentage in those situations. Only the hapless Colorado Rockies have a lower OPS. The Astros' lineup's OPS jumps from .618 to .722 when seeing a starter the second time. Paredes has a .508 OPS in his first look at a starter and a .939 mark during his second. Altuve's numbers are almost identical — .562 in his first look and .800 during his second. That the struggling Walker hits behind them in the batting order only exacerbates the problem. Blaming Paredes and Altuve alone for an entire team's struggles the first time through is foolish, but both men are here to help carry a top-heavy offense. Improving in their first at-bats can make that easier. Has the fact that (Miguel) Ullola hasn't been mentioned by (general manager Dana) Brown previously mean he's unlikely to get the call-up anytime soon? — Ryan C. I'd recommend listening to Brown's regular Sunday appearance on the team's pregame radio show, Ryan. During last week's discussion, Brown mentioned he and Espada 'just had a nice discussion about (Ullola) downstairs.' That the conversation happened at all indicates Ullola is on the major-league radar. Ullola has struck out 52 batters across his first 38 innings at Triple-A Sugar Land and claimed Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Month honors in May, a month he finished with a 1.17 ERA in 23 innings. Command remains an issue for Ullola, who has thrown just 58 percent of his pitches for strikes and is walking 5.8 batters per nine innings, but he is missing enough bats to warrant a serious look from the major-league team. Advertisement Following Monday's off day, Houston faces a stretch of 19 games in 20 days. Going to a six-man rotation for some of it seems sensible. Two spots in it are not secured, though Brandon Walter may have earned one Sunday after holding the Cleveland Guardians to two runs across six innings. Ullola's fate could be tied to that of Ryan Gusto, who has failed to finish five innings in six of his last eight starts. Gusto has a 5.60 ERA across his past 10 appearances, eight of which are starts. After Gusto's last one — a 4 1/3-inning slog against a putrid Pittsburgh Pirates lineup — Espada did not sound like someone prepared to pull him from the rotation. Gusto is listed as the team's probable starter Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox, a lineup with listlessness on par with Pittsburgh. If Gusto authors a similar result, a difficult conversation may ensue — especially if Ullola continues to make his case for a call-up. One bright red flag I see with this year's team is the failure to control the opponents' running game. Do you see this improving anytime soon? And does the problem lie with the catchers? Slow pickoff moves? Inexperience in the rotation? Or all of the above? — Neeraj J. Only the Miami Marlins and Athletics entered Sunday allowing stolen bases at a higher clip than the Astros, Neeraj. Houston and Miami are the only two teams to surrender at least 70 stolen bases. It's a problem — a holistic one harped on by Houston's coaching staff since spring training. No part of the Astros' battery is absolved from blame. According to Baseball Savant, Houston's pitching staff is worth a minus-13 net bases prevented and entered Sunday allowing 56 extra bases gained by either steals or balks. Again, only the Marlins have worse numbers. Opponents have attempted 54 stolen bases against Diaz and 30 against Caratini. Diaz's average exchange and pop times have decreased from last season, while the average velocity on his throws is down from 84.3 mph last season to 83.6 mph during this one. Advertisement Still, Diaz managed to throw out eight base stealers. Caratini has only caught three. On average, runners are 54.1 feet away from second base when Diaz receives the baseball and 53.5 feet away against Caratini. League average is 56 feet, accentuating a fact that's hard to argue: Astros pitchers are giving their catchers little chance to throw anyone out. Introducing slide steps, holding the baseball longer before delivering it or varying times to home plate can help. Houston's pitching staff is incorporating all of it in hopes of turning around this troubling trend. What's the chance Jacob Melton is (given) the same opportunities they have (given) Cam Smith? — Shannon E. Production precipitates playing time, Shannon, so Melton is in control of his destiny. He is a left-handed hitter who represents what this club lacks — and what it could be in the market for during the trade deadline. Perhaps Melton will make that pursuit moot. As long as Alvarez remains on the injured list, a path to regular at-bats exists for Melton at any of the three outfield spots or as the team's designated hitter. The team must be mindful of Melton's recovery from a groin injury, though, which limited him to playing four days a week at Triple-A Sugar Land before his promotion. Melton has started six of his first seven games as a big leaguer. He has demonstrated dazzling defense and an ability to prolong at-bats, but is still 3-for-20 with eight strikeouts. While Alvarez, Chas McCormick and Zach Dezenzo are out, though, a runway exists for the major-league staff to see whether Melton can be a contributor. If he proves capable, it could open a new avenue for Brown to explore at the trade deadline — perhaps using McCormick, Dezenzo or starting center fielder Jake Meyers as chips in trade talks with Melton waiting in the wings to replace them. (Top photo of Victor Caratini and Yainer Diaz: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Notre Dame 2026 WR target Kohen Brown commits to the Texas Longhorns
Notre Dame 2026 WR target Kohen Brown commits to the Texas Longhorns It looked like Notre Dame football was going to make a run at former USC wide receiver commit Kohen Brown, but that took a big turn on Sunday evening. The 6-foot and 190-pound prospect had scheduled an official visit to see South Bend next weekend, but that might not happen as Brown committed to the in-state Texas Longhorns. He took an official visit there this weekend, and that trip sealed the deal for him. While its unfortunate that Notre Dame is most likely no longer part of his plans, Brown has yet to say that he won't make the visit, there are still more than a few high-level wide receivers they are after. Another Texan in Brayden Robinson is set to commit on June 20th, when he is scheduled on his official visit to see the Irish. Florida's Brian Williams is also an option, as his official will start on June 19th, and Notre Dame will host Devin Fitzgerald, Larry's son, on June 13th. The Irish have options to add another wide receiver in 2026, and currently have Bubba Frazier and Dylan Faison committed at the position.
USA Today
14 hours ago
- USA Today
91 days until the Texans' 2025 season opener: Who has worn No. 91?
91 days until the Texans' 2025 season opener: Who has worn No. 91? Who has worn No. 91 since 2002? The Houston Texans are less than 100 days away from kicking off the 2025 season in Los Angeles against the Rams at SoFi Stadium and we're counting down the days until a victory ensues on the west coast. Texans Wire will each day tell you which player has worn the number of the day leading up to kickoff and pick the player who ensured the number best during their time at NRG Stadium. As for today, let's take a look at who has won No. 91 since the inaugural season in 2002. Texans players to wear No. 91 No. 91 currently belongs to Folorunso Fatukasi, who returned to Houston on a one-year deal earlier this offseason. He was Houston's best interior run defender for a unit that finished top 10 in run defense en route to another AFC South division title. He's been a solid depth piece since joining the Texans in 2024, recording 24 tackles and one sack last season. Is Fatukasi the best player to wear No. 91? The list isn't filled with many faces of the franchise-type players, so come back after this season to find out how well he improves to compete for that title. DL Foley Fatukasi (2024-present) DL Hassan Ridgeway(2023) DL Roy Lopez (2021-2022) DE Carlos Watkins (2017-2020) DE Devon Still (2016) LB Jason Ankrah (2014) DE Ricky Sapp (2013) NT Ra'Shon Harris (2011-2012) DT Amobi Akoye (2007-2010) DL Seth Payne (2002-2006) Best Player: Seth Payne Akoye had a case for the title since he was a first-round pick, but he was also expected to become a staple for the franchise as the youngest player ever drafted in the first round. He finished with 10 sacks in four years while Payne, a first-round pick in the expansion draft of 2002, had 9.5 after a promising stint as a rotational player in Jacksonville. As the eighth overall pick in the expansion draft, Payne finally had his chance to start. Over four seasons, he started 46 games, helping Houston become a franchise on the come-up. That has to carry some weight , right?
