They donned their deep orange uniforms, heard the roar of the crowd at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium rooting for their success and gave their all to Longhorns Nation. Now, as they enter the professional level, new challenges await these former University of Texas athletes in the next chapter of their careers.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, Texas Athletics enjoyed success in multiple sports, winning two NCAA Championships, eight NCAA top-five and 12 top-10 finishes and winning a record 15 Big 12 Conference titles.
For the Texas athletes, this success marked the end of their collegiate careers and the beginning of their next challenge. Here is the latest on the top athletes from various sports who have signed with professional sports teams after the 2023-2024 season.
volleyball
The Texas women’s volleyball team finished the 2023-2024 season with a 3-0 victory over Nebraska to win their second consecutive national championship. Standout middle blocker Aszia O’Neal was selected first overall by the Columbus Fury of the Professional Volleyball Association. She signed with League One Volleyball to play for the Austin team, joining seven other Texas alumni in the league’s inaugural season, which begins on January 9, 2025.
football
The Texas football team finished its final season in the Big 12 Conference with a conference title and a 12-2 record.
Eleven players from that team were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, setting a record for the most NFL players drafted in a single year. Texas had the second-most players drafted, behind only Michigan, which drafted 13 players.
Two of the 11 draft picks saw immediate success. Kansas City first-round wide receiver Xavier Worthy had seven targets, four receptions and one touchdown through Week 2, averaging 16 yards per catch. His first NFL catch was a touchdown in the Chiefs’ Week 1 win over the Ravens.
Seattle Seahawks first-round draft pick, defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, has made an impact in his first two NFL games, recording six total tackles and 0.5 sacks to help the Seahawks get off to a 2-0 start to the season.
Women’s Basketball
The Longhorns women’s basketball team finished last season with a Big 12 Championship and an appearance in the Elite Eight of the Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. Guard Shaylee Gonzalez entered the 2024 WNBA Draft but ultimately went undrafted. She joined Italian basketball team Dinamo Sassari and played in the Italian LBA, the highest club level of professional basketball in Italy.
Gonzalez and her team are currently competing in the EuroCup qualifying round, where she won her first Mani MVP award of the season after a dominant win over PAS Giannina, where she scored 22 points on 8-of-11 field goal attempts and 5-of-6 shots from the 3-point line.
Men’s Basketball
The University of Texas men’s basketball team finished the 2023-2024 season in the round of 32 after losing to the University of Tennessee in the men’s NCAA basketball tournament. Two draft-eligible players, guard Max Abmas and forward Dylan Disu, went undrafted, but Abmas signed a summer league contract with the Utah Jazz and Disu signed with the Toronto Raptors.
Abmas averaged 12.3 points in four summer league games before earning a contract with the Jazz. Disu averaged 3.0 points in 8.6 minutes per game. As of September 20, there was no update on Disu’s contract status.
The future is bright for these athletes and their careers are just beginning, their journey speaks to their dedication to their craft while continuing the Texas Athletic Program’s tradition of developing world-class athletes.
