Texas AD addresses report linking AI to key play in Florida loss

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte clarified on Friday that the Longhorns did not rely on a new artificial intelligence platform to decide on a failed fourth-and-2 play in their 27-24 loss to Florida.

The clarification followed a report in the Austin American-Statesman that linked the call to Bevo Lab, the school’s newly announced AI-driven data analytics initiative.

Trailing 20-17 in the fourth quarter, Texas went for it on fourth-and-2. Quarterback Arch Manning was stopped for a 3-yard loss, and the Longhorns turned the ball over on downs. The newspaper described Del Conte as citing the moment as a pivotal embrace of the technology.

Del Conte said he offered the play only as an example of what the platform could suggest, not what it actually did. The decision was not based on Bevo Lab analysis.

Texas officially unveiled Bevo Lab the same day as a partnership involving the athletic department, the McCombs School of Business’ Business of Sports Institute, and Longhorn Sports Properties, with Dell Technologies, Google Cloud, and SHI International as partners. The initiative is designed to serve all 21 varsity programs and more than 500 athletes.

Planned features include a unified data warehouse known as Bevo Lakehouse that consolidates game film and wearable technology, beginning with football, along with transfer AI models to assist with roster evaluation, scouting, game strategy, and player development.

“Bevo Lab will become the global benchmark for innovation in sports AI and data analytics, making Texas Athletics the most data-driven athletic program in the country,” Del Conte said in the announcement. “What starts here changes the world, and this vision will transform collegiate athletics.”

Kirk Goldsberry, a former San Antonio Spurs executive and ESPN analyst who leads the Business of Sports Institute, will oversee roughly 40 student researchers working on modeling and data projects.

Del Conte has said the platform will be available to coaches, players, trainers, nutritionists, and analysts across every Longhorns program.