Houston Basketball: Cougars get its needed big man in Jacob McFarland

Houston Basketball is focusing heavily on the frontcourt in the 2023 recruiting class, with four-star big man Jacob McFarland being the newest piece.

When it comes to the identity of the program, Houston Basketball is all about the guards. They’ve had elite players for years, elevating them towards the top tier of college hoops. And this upcoming season is no different, with guys like Marcus Sasser, Tramon Mark, and Jamal Shead leading the way.

Typically, the frontcourt has been a couple of veteran bigs, usually through the transfer portal that are quality defenders and rebounders but doesn’t provide too much offensively. Yet last season’s starting duo of Josh Carlton and Fabian White were both double-digit scorers and allowed the Cougars to be an Elite 8 team even after losing multiple guards to injuries. For this upcoming season, the program has five-star freshman Jarace Walker in the frontcourt, who could very well be a “one and done” prospect for Houston.

The team now look toward the 2023 class, already with a pair of commits in four-star combo guard Kordelius Jefferson and top-60 forward Joseph Tugler. And the Cougars have paired Tugler with a 6’10 true center in Jacob McFarland.

A consensus four-star prospect and currently ranked in the top-100 of 247sports recruiting, McFarland fits the mold of what head coach Kelvin Sampson likes in his big men. He’s a quality defender and capable shot-blocker, while also having a high motor and running the court well. His offensive game isn’t much outside of lobs and putbacks but he could grow with a developing post-game.

What’s important is that Houston needs great athletes as they head to the Big 12 a year from now. And guys such as McFarland and Tugler are good enough to play at that level and with multiple years in the program’s system, should become a quality frontcourt for the program.

As great as the guard play has been for the Cougars, they can’t assume that they’ll have a top-5 nationally talented backcourt each year. They’ll need more production and overall balance from the frontcourt and so far, they’re certainly building on it with this current recruiting class.