For the second straight year, sharpshooting forward Cam Heide will enter the NCAA transfer portal after one season with the Texas Longhorns, according to a Thursday report from Draft Express, in the biggest portal departure so far for head coach Sean Miller.
The 6’7, 215-pounder has one season of eligibility remaining.
Advertisement
A Minneapolis product who spent his senior season at Wasatch Academy in Utah, Heide was a consensus four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class ranked as the No. 135 player nationally and the No. 32 small forward, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Heide signed with Purdue over offers from Creighton, Iowa, Marquette, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Texas, Wisconsin, and Virginia Tech.
As a senior, Heide suffered a foot injury that forced him to redshirt his first season in West Lafayette before appearing in all 39 games in 2023-24, averaging 3.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game. Heide shot 45 percent from three and his effective field-goal percentage of .682 was the best of any high-major freshman who attempted at least 75 shots.
During the 2024-25 season, Heide averaged 4.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 19.7 minutes per game while starting eight games. Heide was a two-level player as a redshirt sophomore, recording 10 dunks and shooting 81.5 percent around the rim, but he only attempted four mid-range shots while hitting 31 threes at a rate of 39.2 percent.
At Texas, Heide started in 29 of his 35 games for Miller, moving into the starting lineup early in the season while being forced to play out of position because of the lack of frontcourt depth for the Longhorns. Often called on to defend bigger players, Heide struggled defensively — his defensive plus-minus dropped from 2.7 to 1.6 as historic issues with a high foul rate persisted.
Advertisement
And there wasn’t any growth for Heide offensively, either, as he attempted only five mid-range shots and 17 free throws, rarely using his shot credibility to drive because of his lack of ball-handling ability in getting to the rim for nine dunks and 31 shots around the basket.
As a three-point shooter, Heide was elite at times, finishing the season hitting at a career-high 45.4 percent from beyond the arc, but he also lost his confidence during a key late-season stretch before bouncing back to hit an iconic three to seal the victory over BYU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Overall, the 3.1 threes attempted by Heide per game in burnt orange and white was a disappointment because of his long-range proficiency — at multiple times during the season, Miller expressed his preference for Heide to get more shots, but that never really materialized, in part because of the team’s lack of a true point guard.
Heide’s departure creates a three-point shooting void that 2026 signee Bo Odgen should be able to fill with a more diverse all-around offensive game, but it does increase the need for a portal signee on the wing when combined with the NBA Draft declaration by Dailyn Swain.
Two other Texas players either entered the portal on Thursday or intend to do so — guard Simeon Wilcher and forward Nic Codie.
