The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men’s Basketball signs David Punch
04.27.2026 | Men's Basketball
Punch earned honorable mention All-Big 12 and NABC All-Gulf District First-Team accolades as a sophomore at TCU.
AUSTIN, Texas — David Punch has signed an Athletic Scholarship Agreement (ASA) to play basketball next season at The University of Texas, head coach Sean Miller announced Monday. Punch, who spent the last two years playing at TCU, will join the Longhorns for the upcoming 2026-27 season and have two years of collegiate eligibility remaining.
Punch (6-7, 246), a forward from Harker Heights, Texas, has played in 66 games (61 starts) and registered 687 points (10.4 ppg), 370 rebounds (5.6 rpg) and 94 blocks (1.4 bpg) in 1,661 minutes (25.2 mpg) over the last two years at TCU. He has converted 49.4-percent (260-526) from the floor and 61.7-percent (148-240) from the free throw line during his first two collegiate seasons. Punch has reached double figures in scoring 31 times in his career and reached double digits in rebounds six times while posting five career double-doubles.
During his sophomore season in 2025-26 at TCU, Punch earned honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-Gulf District First Team honors. He played in 34 of a possible 35 games (34 starts) and led the team in scoring (14.1 ppg), rebounding (6.8 rpg) and blocked shots (66), ranked second in steals (45) and third in assists (68) and minutes (29.7 mpg) while helping the Horned Frogs post a 23-12 record (11-7 Big 12) and advance to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. Punch was one of five major conference players during the 2025-26 season and one of seven players in Big 12 history to average at least 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block for the full year, and he was the first TCU player since Kurt Thomas in 1994-95 to post those averages. He converted 50.3-percent (178-354) from the floor and 65.3-percent (111-170) from the free throw line and ranked third in the Big 12 in blocks per game (1.94 bpg), eighth in field goal percentage (50.3) and 12th in rebounding (6.8 rpg). Punch reached double figures in scoring 26 times and topped the 20-point mark seven times, recorded double figures in rebounds six times and posted five double-doubles during the season. He posted a career-high 26 points (9-14 FG, 2-2 threes, 6-7 FT), seven boards and four blocks in 34 minutes against Oklahoma State (March 11) in the Big 12 Tournament. Punch recorded back-to-back double-doubles in the postseason with 24 points and 10 rebounds against Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament (March 12) followed by 16 points and a career-best 13 rebounds against Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament First Round (March 19). He also earned a spot on the Rady Children's Invitational All-Tournament Team after averaging 18.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.5 bpg and 2.0 apg in victories against No. 10 Florida (Nov. 27) and Wisconsin (Nov. 28).
As a freshman in 2024-25, Punch played in all 32 games (27 starts) and ranked fifth among Big 12 freshmen in rebounding (4.4 rpg) and 10th in scoring (6.5 ppg) in 20.4 minutes per contest. He converted 47.7-percent (82-172) from the floor and reached double digits in scoring five times during the season. Punch recorded a season-high 19 points (7-10 FG, 3-3 threes, 2-4 FT) in 24 minutes against Colorado (Feb. 2). This marked a tie for the seventh-highest scoring total by a freshman at TCU in the Jamie Dixon era. He also tallied a career-high five blocked shots against Alcorn (Nov. 19), the most by a TCU player since the 2020-21 season and the most by a TCU freshman since the 2018-19 season.
Punch played at Harker Heights High School (Harker Heights, Texas) and was tabbed the No. 91 player in the country and fifth-best prospect in the state of Texas by 247 Sports in the Class of 2024 rankings. He also was ranked No. 100 by ESPN and No. 119 by Rivals. Punch earned Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) all-state honors and was named the unanimous 12-6A District Most Valuable Player as a senior in 2023-24 after averaging 17.0 points and 11.7 rebounds per game and leading Harker Heights to a third-straight district championship. He also earned 12-6A District co-MVP accolades as a junior in 2022-23.
