Houston lands C Chris Cenac Jr., its highest-ranked recruit in modern era - ESPN

Top-10 prospect Chris Cenac Jr., the No. 1 center in the 2025 class, has committed to Houston — becoming the program's highest-ranked recruit in the modern era and giving the Cougars the No. 2 recruiting class in the country.

Cenac chose the Cougars over a final list that also included LSU, Auburn, Arkansas, Baylor, Kentucky and Tennessee. Home-state option LSU was strongly in the mix for much of Cenac's recruitment, while Kentucky made a push in the summer and Tennessee tried to close the gap in recent weeks.

But Houston has been in a strong position for Cenac for much of the fall, and the big man's relationship with head coach Kelvin Sampson and assistant coach Quannas White was a key factor.

«I built a great relationship with Coach Sampson, Coach White and the rest of the staff. They have a plan to develop me, and I trust them,» Cenac told ESPN. «I know Coach Sampson is going to coach me hard. I want that and I need that. I am a coachable player. People see Coach Sampson only on the court — he has a good sense of humor, and he is really a funny guy.»

Cenac is shaping up to be a projected lottery pick in the 2026 mock draft.

«I want to go to a winning program and produce to help them win even more,» Cenac said. «At the same time, they can help me develop my game for the next level after Houston.»

A 6-foot-10 center, Cenac had a breakout spring on the Puma Pro16 circuit and then backed it up by dominating at the USA Basketball under-17 minicamp and NBPA Top 100 camp. He made the U17 national team and helped lead the U.S. to a gold medal at the FIBA U17 World Cup, averaging 8.9 points and 5.4 rebounds in seven games off the bench.

Cenac owns a 7-4 wingspan that allows him to contest shots, block shots and gain