USFL '25: "Texas Draft"

 

“Texas Draft”

Houston and San Antonio determine their first eight selections each year before dividing the rest of the state–a formalized hashing-out. This was once an ad-hoc arrangement dating back to ‘87; negotiations and horse-trading were first formally etched out by gentlemen Tom Landry–then San Antonio President/GM/Head Coach–and George H.W. Bush–then principal owner of the Houston Gamblers–in 1993, but this still relied heavily on an at least outwardly projecting chivalric code and mutural respect between men. The economic catastrophe of ‘09, the decline of the post-Mack Brown Longhorns, the rise of A&M, and financial stabilization of the USFL led to the first formalized selection process in 2013 at the insistence of ESPN, who needed a marquee event for The Longhorn Network. It was determined then that the draft be held on the third Friday of November, roughly a week before the wider Territorial Draft. 

The final liquidation of The Walt Disney Company by The Committee of The Restoration of National Dignity in 2023 left the event without a national broadcaster or space for discourse. Even with the massive injection of capital and a salary war emerging, Apple Television–the new broadcast partner, having inked a 5-year, $2.5 Billion deal–declined to air fearing lack of interest beyond amateur streamers and message board lurkers.

The 2025 Texas Draft aired nationally on PBS and regionally on HSE within the 5th Special Administrative Region (formally AR/OK/TX/LA), live from the former Landry estate in Austin. Reactionaries like Joe Theismann claimed the Department of Sports, Culture, and Tradition(s) “robustly backed the event to create a new wool blanket for our eyes” drawing regional attention away from the current “dictatorship of the slovenly and lazy.” There was likely something to this assessment, invectives aside--Civilian Governor Beto Rourke rung in the event from the old Tom's Den and new Lt. Governor Greg Popovich sanctified the results. Make something new out of the old shards. This is an attempt at a new, human-centered regime, whether “Marxist-Jamesonist” or not. 

The remaining seven selections will be conducted with rest of the league on Friday, November 29.

Round 1

San Antonio (10-8)

Kelvin Banks

OL

Texas

Houston (11-7)

Nic Scourton

DE

Texas A&M

Round 2

Houston 

Quinn Ewers

QB

Texas A&M

San Antonio 

Cameron Williams

OL

Texas

Round 3 

San Antonio 

Andrew Mukuba

S

Texas

Houston

Isaiah Bond

WR

Texas

Round 4

Houston

Gunner Helm

TE

Texas

San Antonio

Shemar Stewart

DE

Texas A&M

Round 5

San Antonio

Tahj Brooks

RB

Texas Tech

Houston 

Trey Zuhn III

OL

Texas A&M

Round 6

Houston 

Cashius Howell

DL

Texas A&M

San Antonio 

Preston Stone 

QB

SMU

Round 7

San Antonio

Elijah Roberts

DE

SMU

Houston

Jack Bech

WR

TCU

Round 8

Houston

Maverick McIvor

QB

Abilene Christian

San Antonio 

Kayvon Britten

RB

Tarleton State