OTF Premium 'Two feet in' with 2026 NBA Draft, Dailyn Swain makes Texas departure official

[Jeff Howe]

Texas forward Dailyn Swain is keeping his name in the 2026 NBA Draft, officially forgoing the rest of his collegiate eligibility.

“Two feet in” is how Swain is characterizing his draft status, according to ESPN's Jeff Borzello, who reported on Wednesday that Swain has “closed the door” on returning to the Longhorns.

On Texas Football has reported since Swain declared for the draft on April 7 that Sean Miller and the Texas staff were building the 2026-27 roster with the idea that Swain wouldn’t return to the Forty Acres. Swain didn't enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal, which meant the Longhorns would've been his only option if he'd decided to return to college.

Swain, who participated in the NBA Draft Combine over the weekend, where he measured 6-feet, 6 ½ inches in bare feet and weighed 211 pounds with a 6-foot, 10-inch wingspan and standing reach of 8-feet, 8 ½ inches, is projected to go in the first round of the draft on June 23. Sources have told OTF that the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder are among the franchises to express the most interest in Swain as he’s gone through the draft process (the Thunder have the 12th and 17th overall picks, while the Heat have the No. 13 overall selection in what’s considered to be a historically deep draft).

If Swain is selected in the first round, it will mark the second consecutive draft for the Longhorns to produce a first-round pick. Tre Johnson, the 2024-25 SEC Freshman of the Year, was the sixth overall pick in last year’s draft by the Washington Wizards. It will be the first time Texas has produced back-to-back first-round picks since Jarrett Allen (2017), Mo Bamba (2018) and Jaxson Hayes (2019) went in the first round in three consecutive drafts.

Swain would be the 21st Longhorn to go in the first round of the draft. Texas has produced 16 of its 20 first-round picks since 2000, when Chris Mihm went No. 7 overall to the Chicago Bulls (his draft rights were later traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers).

Swain’s lone season with the Longhorns was a memorable one, helping Texas reach the Sweet 16, where the team came within a last-second bucket in a 79-77 loss to Purdue from reaching the Elite Eight. A finalist for the Julius Erving Award, which recognizes the top small forward in college basketball, Swain was named SEC Newcomer of the Year by the league’s coaches, who made him a second-team All-SEC selection.

A starter in each of the team’s 36 games during the 2025-26 season, Swain led Texas in scoring (17.3 points per game), rebounding (7.5 per game), assists (129 total and 3.6 per game) and steals (59 total and 1.6 per game) while averaging a team-high 32.8 minutes per game. Swain shot a career-high 54.2 percent (214-for-395) from the field, 81.5-percent (163-for-200) from the foul line and a career-best 34.4 percent from 3-point range (32-for-93).

Swain reached double figures in scoring in 33 of 36 games, recording 12 20-point games and two 30-point performances, including a career-high 34 points against Mississippi State on Jan. 3. Grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds against the Bulldogs marked one of Swain’s eight double-doubles on the season.

Swain played a significant role in the Longhorns finishing Miller's first season with a 21-15 record, including a 9-9 mark in the SEC. Swain, who was recruited by Miller out of high school and transferred to Texas after two seasons at Xavier after Miller was hired by the Longhorns on March 24, 2025, helped Texas earn a No. 22 ranking in the season-ending Associated Press Top 25.

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[Jeff Howe]

Not a surprise to OTF subscribers. Best of luck to Dailyn Swain in the NBA. He had a heck of a year for the Longhorns.

 

[GoHorns1]

 Go live your dream Daylin! 
Hook em

[Thailand T Sip]

Good on ya! Go live your dream! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼

[CJ Vogel]

Best of luck to Dailyn!

For Sean Miller's sake, it would be awesome if he hears his name in the lottery.

[Dawson Yarbrough]

Good luck to Mr Swain. He seems like he’s a great representative of the University of Texas. 

[SuperDave0805]

Hope he can get into the 1st round 

[Jeff Howe]

21 minutes ago, CJ Vogel said:

Best of luck to Dailyn!

For Sean Miller's sake, it would be awesome if he hears his name in the lottery.

I'd like Swain and Tre Johnson to pan out better than the last time Texas produced back-to-back lottery picks, which was Mo Bamba (2018) and Jaxson Hayes (2019).

[Jeff Howe]

12 minutes ago, SuperDave0805 said:

Hope he can get into the 1st round 

He wouldn't be staying in the draft if he didn't have that guarantee. Assuming the Mavericks keep pick No. 30, he won't get by them (and probably won't get by the Nuggets at No. 26, again, if those teams keep those picks).

[Jordan91]

Wish him all the best. He has been gone for more than a month now. I don’t understand why people kept saying well if he comes back… the money is gone. He’s a first round pick. Happy for him. 

[Jordan91]

28 minutes ago, Jeff Howe said:

I'd like Swain and Tre Johnson to pan out better than the last time Texas produced back-to-back lottery picks, which was Mo Bamba (2018) and Jaxson Hayes (2019).

Well at least Bamba has a song. 

[Gerry Hamilton]

Will be terrific for Texas/Sean to have a 1st rounder in year one 

And will follow up with several draft picks in year two and three 

[GoHorns1]

Gerry, which position will play in the NBA?

[Red Five]

There are about five different posters thinking "But what if he comes back??" 

[Jordan91]

48 minutes ago, Gerry Hamilton said:

Will be terrific for Texas/Sean to have a 1st rounder in year one 

And will follow up with several draft picks in year two and three 

Has Koa Peat been working out with Johnson’s father?

[Gerry Hamilton]

15 minutes ago, Jordan91 said:

Has Koa Peat been working out with Johnson’s father?

Yep. For a while I believe 

[HonkEm]

Wishing Dailyn nothing but the best at the next level. He gave Texas a huge season, represented the program the right way, and earned this shot. Go chase your dream, big man - Hook ’Em 🤘

[Califashorn75]

He should be a very good pro. No one plays defense in the NBA. 

[Gerry Hamilton]

11 hours ago, GoHorns1 said:

Gerry, which position will play in the NBA?

Wing/SF all the way in the NBA.

He's going to be a solid role player with wing playmaking ability IMO. I don't see him going beyond that, currently. Strong role player off bench, or a role player starter (4th/5th scoring option) 

Detroit at 21, Boston at 27, Dallas at 30 ... can see that. Maybe a OKC at 17 or Charlotte at 18 really likes him fitting into their team. 

Miami really likes him, but not sure I see 13 for him in this draft.