Forty Acres Insider: January 13

Chris Del Conte head shot 2025

Longhorn Nation,

IT'S AN AWESOME TIME ON THE FORTY ACRES, my friends. First and foremost, I hope you had a joyous holiday season and are off to an incredible New Year. We're stampeding into 2026 as campus is a buzz with the spring semester underway and our student-athletes returning in full force for training, competition, and classes. We're still reveling in Football's thrilling Cheez-It Citrus Bowl victory, which extended our streak of 10-win seasons to three-straight — our longest run since 2007-09. And we're in the middle of Coach Sark's all gas no brakes approach to roster building, with freshmen arriving on campus, a strong core of returning players, and talent aplenty on the way via the transfer portal. On the hardwood, Coach Miller and Men's Basketball delivered a statement road win at No. 13 Alabama, taking an exciting 92-88 game over the Tide in Tuscaloosa on Saturday (love that locker room celebration, Coach!). Coach Schaefer and No. 2 Women's Basketball have another big week ahead, while Tennis and Indoor Track and Field are already underway, too. Swimming and Diving returns to action this week, and Baseball and Softball are right around the corner. It's all Longhorns, all the time!

Happy New Year, Longhorn Nation! 🤘🥂#HookEm pic.twitter.com/2LUStt6a3o
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) January 1, 2026

There's no better time to fire up the Forty Acres Insider to start sharing all that's happened — and all that's happening — across Texas Athletics. As we flip the calendar from 2025 to 2026, we also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to each of you for the phenomenal support you provided throughout the past year. So, let's go! Our Horns are off and running in the new year, and there's plenty to cheer for this week. Men's Basketball returns to Moody Center to host top-10 Vanderbilt on Wednesday night (8 p.m. CT/ESPN2), followed by a Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown with rival Texas A&M on Saturday (5 p.m. CT/ESPN). Women's Basketball will look to respond after suffering its first loss of the season last Sunday at No. 12 LSU (70-65). We know Coach Schaefer's squad will dust themselves off and be ready to roll as they head back on the road to face No. 3 South Carolina on Thursday (6 p.m. CT/ESPN2), before returning to the friendly confines of Moody Center for a clash with the Aggies on Sunday (3 p.m. CT/SEC Network). We know y'all will pack The Mood and bring the energy! Elsewhere, Men's Tennis hosts UIW at the Texas Tennis Center on Wednesday (3 p.m. CT) and welcomes Virginia on Sunday (12:30 p.m. CT) at the Texas Tennis Center. Women's Tennis will take on Pepperdine on Sunday (10 a.m. CT), while Track and Field heads to Lubbock for competition on Friday and Saturday as well. KEEP THOSE HORNS UP, AND LET'S HAVE OURSELVES A WEEK Y'ALL!

let's have ourselves a week, Longhorn Nation 🤘#HookEm | @SeatGeek pic.twitter.com/4f5lEn19z0
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) January 12, 2026

WHAT STARTS HERE was on full display in the NFL postseason, with 33 former Longhorns represented as playoffs kicked off this past weekend. That group included 17 players on active rosters making an impact, seven on injured reserve (but still vital members of their teams), five on practice squads, and four coaches — highlighted by head coach Kyle Shanahan, who led his 49ers to a Round One victory. TWENTY (12 Active/2 Practice squad/2 Injured/4 Coaches) Longhorns remain in the hunt as Round Two begins this weekend. Hook 'em to our Longhorns in the pros — we are incredibly proud of all you've accomplished as you continue to represent the Burnt Orange & White at the next level!

Good luck to all the Longhorns in the NFL Playoffs 🤘 pic.twitter.com/6q5qKJPBPN
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) January 10, 2026

And in closing, before we get to the notes, let's get those Horns up for our student-athletes and their extraordinary work, accomplishments, and success in the classroom as they PREPARE TO CHANGE THE WORLD. What an incredible fall semester our Longhorns just completed. Our nearly 500 student-athletes combined for an outstanding 3.46 GPA across our 21 sports programs. Of those, 418 posted a 3.0 or better, including an incredible 55 with perfect 4.0s. Even better — every single team achieved a 3.1 or higher. How about that?! For the teams with a full slate of fall competition, an extra shoutout to Soccer (3.52), Volleyball (3.51) and Football (3.31) for performing at an elite level off the field while training and competing on the field and court. Taking it a step further, 90% of our current student-athletes — 440 in total — are maintaining at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Outstanding work and kudos to each and every one of you. And we'd be remiss if we didn't give a well-deserved shoutout and thank you to Dr. LaToya Smith and our phenomenal Academic Services team for their tireless support and commitment to our student-athletes' success. It truly takes a village, and you all are simply the best!

our student-athletes are getting it done in the classroom 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/qZMYIYJBxZ
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) January 13, 2026

So, with all that said, Happy New Year and hello 2026. I hope each of you had the chance to rest, recharge, and spend meaningful time with the people and places that matter most to you — including the Longhorn games we shared together. SEE YOU SOON!

Football feelin' cheezy!
While we all of course would have wanted to have been in the playoff, what an awesome time and atmosphere we had in Orlando at the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl as two of the most storied programs in college football got together, which is always must-see TV. That was reflected in some tremendous TV ratings as the eyes of Texas and the nation were upon us on New Year's Eve to the tune of over 9 million viewers – twice as many as last year's Citrus Bowl and more than two of this year's first-round playoff games! The teams put on one heck of show for that audience, and it resulted in Coach Sark and our lads closing the season in style with a fantastic 41-27 victory over the Wolverines. Arch did Arch things and beyond as he had an MVP performance that led to one of the most impressive stat lines you'll see anywhere on any level! Get this … he became the only FBS or NFL quarterback in the last 30 years to have a game with 200-plus passing yards, 150-plus rushing yards, multiple passing and rushing touchdowns, no sacks, no turnovers and an average of over 15 yards per rush! How incredible is that?? It was no one-off either, as in the second half of the season he was just off the charts (not that he wasn't great before)! Now with that surge, low and behold he's earned his way into the Manning Award finalists, which just happens to be one of the few awards that takes bowls and postseason games into consideration. And wow to the combo of Arch and Christian Clark – just the third combo in UT history to both rush for over 100 yards in a bowl game! Christian, Jack Endries and youngster Kaliq Lockett all found the end zone at key times, and then Arch capped it off literally pulling away from the Michigan secondary (now that's some speed) for an historic 60-yard dash tying the great VY for our longest run in a bowl game, to boot!! The defense handled its business, as well, led by Ty'Anthony Smith's not one, but two interceptions that made him our first linebacker to ever get two in a bowl game, and our sack artist extraordinaire Mr. Simmons who took the SEC lead in that category with his 12 also being the most by a Longhorn since 2013! I tell ya, what an incredible performance by a team that really stepped up without some key pieces that had been in the lineup all year. It earned us our 10th victory over a top-25 opponent (including FIVE against the top 10) over the last two seasons, which is the most of any FBS program! Not to mention SIX of those coming by 10 points or more! It's all a testament to what Coach Sark has built with this program and the future keeps getting brighter with new faces already on campus for 2026!

FEELING THE CHEEZIEST 😏 pic.twitter.com/VcTmCLVvQf
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) January 1, 2026

Wrapped up 2025 with a W 🤘🎬 pic.twitter.com/F2NQTmXHza
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) January 8, 2026

Men's Basketball hosts pair of big-time matchups in The Mood this week
How cool was it to see Coach Miller and our guys get a BIG-TIME ROAD WIN in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night?! After starting last week with a disappointing 85-71 loss at No. 21/22 Tennessee on Tuesday, the Longhorns bounced back and showed tremendous Texas Fight to earn a hard-fought and gritty 92-88 victory at No. 13/12 Alabama on Saturday. It was a complete team win that marked the first SEC victory in the Coach Miller era. Jordan Pope scored 20 of his game-high 28 points in the second half while knocking down SIX three-pointers on the night, and he came through in the clutch by going 4-of-4 from the free throw line in the final 11 seconds to seal the win. Tramon Mark got us off to a great start by notching 16 of his 18 points in the first half, and do-it-all Dailyn Swain posted 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made a crucial block with 16 seconds left. Our guys are back in The Mood for a pair of important SEC games this week. First up is a matchup against undefeated and No. 10/8 Vanderbilt on Wednesday (8 p.m. CT/ESPN2), and then we'll host a Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown against Texas A&M on Saturday (5 p.m. CT/ESPN). Longhorn Nation, let's pack Moody Center and give Coach Miller and our guys a great home-court advantage TWICE this week!

roll the tape 🤘#HookEm | #AlwaysCompete pic.twitter.com/bXGxXJMhA2
— Texas Men's Basketball (@TexasMBB) January 11, 2026

Women's Basketball sports 18-1 record!
Coach Schaefer and our ladies split a pair of games last week and are now 18-1 overall on the year, including a 3-1 mark in SEC play, and ranked No. 4 in the latest AP poll. The Longhorns got things going with a completely dominant 97-36 victory over Auburn in Moody Center last Thursday. Texas jumped out of the gates by using a 20-0 run (now that's how you start a game!) and kept the foot on the gas all night long. Kyla Oldacre was doing her thing, as she posted a career-high 23 points and 11 rebounds in just 20 minutes of action. Five Longhorns reached double digits in the scoring column, and Rori Harmon, the best point guard in the country, dished out seven dimes WITHOUT a turnover. The 61-point win marked the program's largest margin of victory against an SEC or Big 12 Conference opponent, topping a 51-point win over Texas Tech in 2018. Then it was on to Baton Rouge on Sunday afternoon, when the Longhorns dropped their first contest of the season in a hard-fought 70-65 loss to then-No. 12 LSU. Madison Booker scored 20 of her 24 points in the second half, and Kyla Oldacre notched her second-straight and third double-double of the year with 16 points and a career-high-tying 16 rebounds. The grind of SEC play (how about the strength of the league at the top with five teams in the top 10 in the latest AP poll!) continues with a showdown at No. 2 South Carolina on Thursday (6 p.m. CT/ESPN2). And then we'll NEED YOU to pack every seat in The Mood on Sunday, when we host the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown against the Aggies (3 p.m. CT/SEC Network).

consider yourselves put on notice 👀🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/zR5MyO3KH1
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) January 7, 2026

Reminder, Folks: Download the LHN App
Many of you are already dedicated viewers of our LHN digital content and regularly tell us know how much you enjoy the easy access the app provides. If you haven't downloaded it yet — what are you waiting for? From exclusive content and historical footage to behind-the-scenes access, live event programming, and the one-of-a-kind Texas & O's talk show, the LHN app delivers it all in one place. It's the best way to make sure you don't miss a thing and stay up to date on everything happening across Texas Athletics. DOWNLOAD THE LHN APP TODAY and keep the Burnt Orange coming, wherever you are!

Hook 'Em Horns,

Chris Del Conte

P.S. — Welcome to the Forty fellas — Thanks to Taylor and her crew for all they do!

Got the AG26 guys home! I am so excited to watch them work!!!! An elite group. 🤘🏼👏🏼

(If you see them on campus help them find their classrooms pls)

⁦@KyndalPerry1⁩ ⁦@TexasRecruiting⁩ pic.twitter.com/9ImdkVUUWP
— Taylor Searels (@taylor_searels) January 11, 2026

P.S. — The thrill of Victory!

victory scenes🤘🎊#HookEm pic.twitter.com/aAujXdb9q8
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) January 1, 2026

P.S. — What Starts Here — we see ya KD!

writing history 🤘#HookEm | #AlwaysCompete pic.twitter.com/f9mjg3liNG
— Texas Men's Basketball (@TexasMBB) January 10, 2026

P.S. — Remember to save the date, Baseball season is right around the corner!

save the date 📅#HookEm | @TexasLonghorns pic.twitter.com/dIyoyHYNV2
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) October 17, 2025

P.S. — Softball practice is underway for your defending National Champs!

first day back 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/QnQDLWoqsR
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) January 5, 2026

P.S. — Congrats to Courtney Okolo, Hall of Famer!

the newest Longhorn in the @ttfca Hall of Fame 🤘

Courtney Okolo's dominant career in Texas is one for the record books ‼️#HookEm pic.twitter.com/JUliTAMIYB
— Texas T&F/XC (@TexasTFXC) January 10, 2026

P.S. — We see ya fellas, we're lucky to have you on our team!