Longhorns AD Chris Del Conte slams speculation he would leave Texas for another Power Four school
Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte isn’t one to let bad news fester. He wants to kill it ASAP. Last Friday, SMU athletic director Rick Hart announced he was stepping down from the Mustangs. He’s been at the school for 13 years and led the program’s move into the ACC. SMU is also getting a […]
Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte isn’t one to let bad news fester. He wants to kill it ASAP.
Last Friday, SMU athletic director Rick Hart announced he was stepping down from the Mustangs. He’s been at the school for 13 years and led the program’s move into the ACC.
SMU is also getting a new president this summer as Texas’ Jay Hartzell is stepping down in Austin and taking the same job on the Hilltop.
Hart likely felt this was a good time to step away. It gives Hartzell a chance to hire his own person to lead the athletic department for the next decade or more.
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Internet speculation turned to Del Conte leaving the Longhorns for the Mustangs. That move makes no sense from a career perspective, and Del Conte took to his social media account to kill it before anything gained traction.
One X user posted a message at Del Conte that read, “I sure hope the rumors of you being enticed to go to SMU aren’t true! The Luka trade was already too much to handle!!!”
Del Conte responded with a meme of fictional soccer coach Ted Lasso slapping a table that read, “1000% false.”
Del Conte also told A to Z Sports on Sunday that any idea of him leaving for Texas for SMU is not accurate.
Why does it make no sense? Del Conte is currently at the pinnacle of his chosen profession, leaving one of the most lucrative schools in the biggest athletic conference in America. Going from Texas to SMU would be a step down.
He's currently under contract with the Longhorns through August 2030 on a deal that will pay him a total of $19.255 million.
And age isn’t on Del Conte’s side anymore. He’s 56 years old and may not be interested in starting over at another athletic department. It’s taken incredible strength to lift Texas back to national prominence. The Longhorns have won the Directors’ Cup three of the last four years.
Some internet speculation simply focused on Hartzell going to Dallas, and of course, Del Conte would follow. But in this case, that’s not happening.
