With the future of Texas Athletics set to shift from a conference the Longhorns participated in over the last 28 years to one that won over 250 national championship, university officials elected to hold a celebration.
On June 30, 2024, less than 12 hours before Texas moves from the Big 12 the SEC, the university welcomed fans, students, media and Mr. Worldwide to the Forty Acres to celebrate what the Longhorn athletic department achieved over the last near-three decades and talk about what can be accomplished during the future.
“When you have an opportunity to take — what I believe is — the best league in the country and add a brand like this, all it does is just situate the best league and make it even bigger,” said Marty Smith.