nletter

"Shocking: Two Humans Discover Football Rivalry, World Unsurprised."

Oh, fantastic! Gunnar Helm and Barryn Sorrell have spent three whole years reenacting the Hatfield-McCoy feud, but instead of moonshine, it's about who can throw a ball better. Priorities, right?

Published October 9, 2024 at 7:05am by Danny Davis

🤨 Texas Football Team: Where Out-of-Staters Learn the Meaning of "Rivalry"

tl;dr: Gunnar Helm, a non-Texan, had zero clue about the Red River Rivalry until he landed on UT's campus. Shocking, I know. 🙄

So, here's the deal: Gunnar Helm, not a Texan (gasp!), is one of the few players on the UT football team who isn't from the Lone Star State. Can you even fathom it? 🤯

Before joining the ranks of burnt orange glory, Helm thought the biggest college rivalry was between Colorado and Colorado State. Bless his heart. 😏

"I'm going to be honest with you, I didn't know a whole lot about (the Red River Rivalry). My whole football domain was the Rocky Mountain Showdown. That was my big game to look forward to," said Helm, a senior tight end.

And get this: Barryn Sorrell, another non-Texan from New Orleans, was more clued in. He knew about the Red River Rivalry because, you know, LSU-Alabama is kind of a big deal. 🙄

"Obviously it's a really big rivalry, a really big game and there's a lot of history behind it. Growing up, I did hear a lot about it," Sorrell said.

Since joining the team in 2021, both Helm and Sorrell have played in three Oklahoma-Texas showdowns. So, they've gotten a crash course in what real rivalry looks like. Helm even caught his first career touchdown during last year's trip to the Cotton Bowl, and Sorrell tackled five Sooners.

Stars and stripes, y'all. 😁