Portal Profile: UTSA G Austin Nunez

By Hunt Palmer

LSU’s international acquisitions are garnering plenty of national attention, but some additions are coming from stateside.

Austin Nunez joined the fold this week adding some depth to the Tiger backcourt by way of UTSA, Arizona State and Ole Miss. He’s a more traditional addition that falls in line with the rest in terms of experience and age.

Will Wade continues to search under every proverbial rock for talent. He found Nunez in plain sight.

WHAT WE KNOW

Nunez was big time recruit. Rivals, 247sports and ESPN rated him a four-star, and he was tabbed as a top 60 player and a McDonald’s All-American nominee. He inked with Arizona State and led the Sun Devils in three-point shooting (37.7%) over 28 games as a rookie.

Austin Nunez will definitely play a role for LSU next year.

Big time quickness and ability to get into the lane.

Has produced against some P5 programs too. pic.twitter.com/sJFyVAIMB4

— JPR (@Scouting_Col) May 19, 2026

He then decided to test the transfer portal after that season and ended up in the SEC with Ole Miss in Chris Beard’s first season in Oxford. Nunez played in 30 games without a start. He only attempted 20 shots and totaled 21 points, less than one per game. Six and a half minutes per game of playing time propelled Nunez back into the portal, and he landed…back at Arizona State.

The Sun Devil reunion was short-lived. He only played in four games and missed the rest of the season with a foot injury that required surgery. Looking for a fresh start, the San Antonio native transferred home to UTSA where his mom was an eight-time All-American on the track.

Nunez enjoyed his most productive season, making 21 starts and averaging 9.8 points per game. He dished out 61 assists and notched 25 steals in 21 games. An ankle injury cost him a few weeks. His three-point shooting was chilly, just 25 percent, but he continued his excellent free throw shooting which is 85 percent over four seasons in college.

He’s a 6-foot-2 guard who has run the point for a lot of his four seasons. He’s not 24 or 25 yet like some of his signing class contemporaries, but he’s very well-seasoned and will spend his final year of college eligibility in Baton Rouge.

THE FIT

Nunez certainly supplies some backcourt depth. I think he probably slots in behind Devine Ugochukwu at the point guard spot.

I’m not projecting Yam Madar to make it to campus. That will take a military exemption from three or four years ago. It’s certainly possible, but I’m not confident.

There is some Dedan Thomas Jr. in Nunez’s game. He’s left-handed, first of all. He’s a good athlete, not great. He’s a good shooter, not great. Those profile just like Thomas. I’m not sure he’s as good a distributor. That is truly Thomas’s gift. But Nunez attacks in the same way.

He likes to use high ball screens and wins off the bounce with body control and court vision as opposed to explosiveness. He dished out 32 assists in his final 10 games as a Roadrunner. That’s really good distribution work on a 5-25 team that was clearly lacking scorers.

If Madar makes it to campus and is eligible, he’s the start at the point. Ugochukwu is probably next. Nunez is probably the most natural assister of the group, but he’s got the lowest ceiling.

HUNT’S PROJECTION

I think Nunez comes in as the reserve point guard and gives LSU 12-15 minutes per game. He’s going to shoot it at better than a 25 percent clip from deep. LSU is going to space the floor far, far better than UTSA did, and he’ll get better looks.

But his role won’t be as a shooter. It will be a stabilizing reserve point guard who could get extended minutes if he proves to initiate the offense better than Ugochukwu who is more wired to score.

Often times in the past, reserve point guards were freshmen like Jalen Reece for LSU in 2025-26. Having a fifth-year player in that role is a plus.