Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland has officially announced the signing of Leon Horner III to an Athletic Scholarship Agreement to play for the Red Raiders next season.

A Frisco, Texas native, Horner was a McDonald's All-American nominee who played at Dynamic Prep last year after previously attending Frisco Memorial.

"The reason I chose Texas Tech was the visit and the fans and the coaches are so family-oriented," Horner said. "The game was great I just fell in love with the school when I first stepped foot on the campus. The thing that stood out the most about Texas Tech to me was the student section loves how involved they are with sports at the school. My goals are to win a Big 12 Championship and also win the National Championship. My personal goal is to get freshman of the year."

Horner is listed at 6-foot-6, 210-pounds and is the first freshman signed by Tech this offseason.

At Dynamic Prep, Horner averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He helped lead the team to the Texas Christian Athletic League (T-CAL) 6A State Championship and was named T-CAL All-State Second Team. Horner was a 2024 McDonald's All-American Nominee and earned Chick-Fil-A Classic MVP after leading his team to the tournament title. He was coached by Jermaine O'Neal and starred on the team that was ESPN Top-15 nationally.

Horner was a three-time all-district selection while playing at Frisco Memorial, contributing 889 points, 419 rebounds and 121 assists in three seasons. In the 2022-23 season, he earned UIL District 10-5A First Team and Offensive Player of the Year honors and helped lead the team to a regional quarterfinal championship. He was a TABC 5A All-Region selection after averaging 16.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists. As a sophomore, he helped Frisco Memorial win the district championship and was named a District 9-5A Second Team selection under head coach Quinton Gibson.

He also played for Drive EYBL, Max Levels Elite and Arkansas Rising Stars. His team was the Drive Nation EYBL Elite 8 runner-up at Peach Jam where he was the 16th most efficient shooter.

Horner is the fourth player to sign with the Red Raiders this offseason, following Elijah Hawkins, Federiko Federiko and Kevin Overton. Hawkins signed last week after playing his junior season at Minnesota where he averaged 7.5 assists per game. Overton played his freshman season at Drake, while Federiko played the past two seasons at Pitt.

The Red Raiders are coming off a season where they advanced to the NCAA Tournament and finished tied for third in the Big 12 standings in McCasland's first season leading the program. The Red Raiders were 15-2 at home, reached the Big 12 Championship semifinals and earned a trip to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Tech finished the season with a 23-11 overall record - the 17th time in program history with 20 or more wins and its postseason berth was the sixth time in eight tournaments to advance to the NCAA Tournament.