Texas got some bad news as the Longhorns take a step toward their new football future as it looks like the SEC will not be nearly as strict on the now infamous "Horns Down" taunt when UT joins the conference in 2024. The Big 12 took a strict stance on the "Horns Down" gesture with the conference almost completely cracking down on it by often penalizing players who flashed the sign during games.
But, speaking at SEC Media Days on Tuesday, John McDaid, the conference's coordinator of football officials, took a much softer position on penalties for players who show the "Horns Down" sign during games.
"Unsportsmanlike conduct needs to fit one of three categories: Is it taunting an opponent? Is it making a travesty of the game? Is it otherwise compromising our ability to manage the game?," McDaid said, per Brett McMuprhy. "There's a difference between a player giving a signal directly in the face of an opponent, as opposed to doing it with teammates celebrating after a touchdown or on the sideline. To net all that out, every single occurrence is not an act of unsportsmanlike conduct."
Though the inversion of Texas' iconic "Hook 'Em Horns" hand gesture has been around for a long time, its status has steadily grown in recent years. The first major officiating question cropped up in 2018, when both West Virginia's Will Grier and David Sills were flagged for throwing up the "Horns Down" while leading the Mountaineers to a thrilling 42-41 win against the Longhorns.
That was the first notable time that the "Horns Down" was treated as an unsportsmanlike penalty. From there, the Big 12 lacked clarity on whether or not every "Horns Down" would be penalized. But in 2021, Big 12 director of officiating Greg Burks advised players against using the sign at all.
"Lemme put it this way," Burks said. "If you do a 'Horns Down' to a Texas player as an opponent, that's probably going to be a foul."
After Alabama's win against Texas last season, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban ripped into his players for flashing the "Horns Down" at the Longhorns following Alabama's game-winning field goal last season. The broadcast caught Saban screaming some unsavory words as Alabama celebrated. With Texas set to join in 2024, other SEC teams will have to figure out how to navigate one of college football's most unique issues.
