How SEC will handle Horns Down when Texas joins conference

Where things stand in the SEC regarding the Horns Down penalty opponents use against Texas on the field for when the Longhorns join the league next year

One of the adjustments Texas will have to make when it joins the SEC starting in the 2024 college football season will be how the conference handles the "Horns Down" gesture meant to take a dig at their team and fans, and now the league has offered a preview of how its officials will handle things on the field when they see it.

"Is [the Horns Down gesture] taunting an opponent?" Is it making a travesty of the game? Is it otherwise compromising our ability to manage the game?" said John McDaid, the SEC coordinator of officials, in remarks to Action Network.

Going from there, officials on the field will determine the punishments. Rather than just throwing a flag when they see the gesture, officials will judge each situation on its own in the context of the moment.

"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," McDaid said. "To net all that out, every single occurrence is not an act of unsportsmanlike conduct."

McDaid also noted that the same rules will apply to the Gator Chomp if directed at Florida players in a similar way, or the Land Shark gesture in Ole Miss games.

The sign is used by opponents and rivals to irritate Texas Longhorns players and fans, who have used the Hook 'Em Horns sign dating back to the 1950s.

(McDaid)

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