STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State Men's Basketball head coach Eric Haut announced on Monday that Leroy Kelly IV will stay in Stephenville for his sophomore season next year.

Kelly IV was an outstanding freshman in his first season with the Texans. The Dallas, Texas, native, started the first 20 games of the season for the Purple and White before an injury kept him out for the next 10 games. He played in the regular season finale and the WAC Tournament Opening Round to end his freshman campaign. At the time of his injury, Kelly IV ranked 15th in the nation in steals and led all freshman in the NCAA with 46 total steals.

"Leroy is the kind of student-athlete every program wants — high character, committed, and a relentless worker who shows up every day ready to improve," said Haut. "He brings a versatile, all-around game, and has the ability to impact winning in a lot of different ways. But what's most exciting is his upside. Leroy has a tremendous basketball ceiling, and we believe his best basketball is still ahead of him. He fits exactly how we want to play — tough, skilled, unselfish, and competitive on both ends of the floor."

The freshman was known for his defense ending his season with 47 steals, second on the team despite missing 10 games. He also ranked ninth in the WAC at the end of the year. He notched a pair of games with at least six steals including a season-best eight against Howard Payne. Kelly IV was one of 15 players in the country to record eight or more steals in a single game this season and was one of three freshmen in the NCAA to accomplish the feat. He led the Texans in steals in seven contests.

"First off, I want to thank God for blessing me with the ability to play the game that I love," said Kelly IV. "Next, I want to thank everyone at Tarleton State University, the coaching staff, my teammates, and the community for the support and love that you've all shown me. It's been a blessing to grow here. With that being said, I'm excited to continue representing this program. I look forward to taking the next step under Coach Haut and the rest of the staff. I'm back!"

On the offensive side of the ball, he was one of the Texans leading three-point shooters. Nearly half of his attempts from the floor were from behind the arc. He shot nearly thirty percent from deep and was one of the top three shooters on the team before his injury. While playing 21.7 minutes per game he averaged 5.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in his rookie season with the Texans.

He scored in double figures four times this season. He scored a career-high 18 points leading the team in scoring against Florida A&M while shooting four-for-five from beyond the arc. He also scored in double digits in back-to-back games during conference play. He went on a run at the end of conference play hitting a triple in six of the final seven games of non-conference play.

Kelly IV was a three-star recruit ranked as the 24th best player in the state of Texas according to 247 Sports. He was touted as the 51st shooting guard and was a top 300 player in the class of 2025 in the country. He spent his prep career at Dynamic Prep in Dallas with a flurry of D1 recruits under head coach and former six-time NBA All Star, Jermaine O'Neal. He helped Dynamic Prep make a run to the 2025 Chipotle Nationals title game, playing on ESPN. At the national tournament, he averaged 6.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game, shot 45% from the field and 4-of-12 (33.3%) from 3-point range while turning the ball over just six times in nearly 100 minutes of action. Dynamic Prep earned the number one ranking in the final high school poll as the top team in the country. During his time in high school, Kelly IV joined the exclusive 1000 points club.

"Even more importantly, he represents our program the right way," continued Haut. "He has great parents (Leroy III and Lola) and played for a tremendous coach (Jermaine O'Neal) and staff at Dynamic Prep that have prepared him well for success on and off the court. We're excited to continue building with him and can't wait to see what's ahead. Welcome back, Leroy — let's get to work!"

He will enter his sophomore year still pursuing his degree in general business. He has two sisters, Markia Tate and Jaelah David. During his free time, he enjoys making music however he can.

More additions to the Tarleton State 2026-27 roster are yet to come as well as a full schedule release at a later date.