'Horns Down' and how it will be called in the SEC

Although last year at SEC Media Days it was announced that the “horns down” symbol that has become synonymous with the Texas Longhorns will not be a penalty, it was reiterated again at 2024 SEC Media Days. Rumors and things spread like wildfire on social media on the like, so to have it readdressed was reassuring for many fans across the SEC and the college football world.

Was “horns down” a penalty in the Big 12?

Previous to joining the SEC for its first season in 2024, “horns down” was seen as a penalty against the Texas Longhorns in the Big 12. Previous Longhorns coach Mack Brown had complained about the gesture back in 2012 at a press conference saying, “the horns down gesture is disrespectful.”

Why won’t “horns down” be a penalty in the SEC?

The way the SEC treats horns down is just like any other penalty. Like the Gator chomp and others, special treatment won’t be given to the Longhorns in their inaugural year in the SEC if someone uses the “horns down” symbol against them. The only way it would be is if it is excessive, which makes sense. It won’t be given if it’s simply used.

“We’re going to read the context in which it’s done,” SEC coordinator of officials John McDaid stated at SEC Media Days. “I ask my officials to use judgement of, is it making a travesty of the game, or is it otherwise affecting our ability to manage the game?”

This is more than a fair way to assess the penalty and puts it in the same grouping as other gestures across college football as to how they are assessed. Although the hate for the Texas Longhorns may still bleed heavy across the SEC, this is good for the Longhorns and should mellow it at least some.