BREAKING: Longhorn legend Vince Young has signed a $15 million deal with Netflix for a seven-episode series about his journey with the Texas Longhorns. What’s coming is more than just a documentary: it’s a full-on tribute to Longhorns legend Vince Young, a football icon!
In one of the most exciting media announcements of the year for college football fans, Vince Young, the iconic former quarterback of the Texas Longhorns, has signed a $15 million deal with Netflix for a seven-episode docu-series detailing his meteoric rise, national championship glory, and enduring legacy as one of the sport’s most electrifying figures. The upcoming series is more than a documentary—it’s being billed as a cinematic tribute to a football hero who defined a generation of Texas Longhorns excellence.
“This is for everyone who ever believed in me, from Houston to Austin to the NFL and beyond,” Young said in a statement released by Netflix. “It’s about legacy. It’s about family. It’s about what it means to be a Longhorn.”
The Netflix series, titled “Texas Forever: The Vince Young Story”, is set to premiere in Spring 2026 and will feature never-before-seen footage, interviews with teammates and coaches, and dramatized reenactments of key moments—crafted with the help of award-winning sports documentarian Ezra Holland and executive producer LeBron James, whose SpringHill Company is co-producing the project.
The series will chronicle:
- Young’s early life in Houston and rise through Madison High School.
- His recruitment and decision to play at the University of Texas.
- The unforgettable 2005 National Championship season.
- His historic Rose Bowl performance against USC, widely considered the greatest game in college football history.
- The pressures of early NFL stardom and the personal battles that followed.
- His return to the University of Texas in a mentorship and ambassadorial role.
“This isn’t just about football,” said Holland. “It’s about a young Black man navigating the weight of expectation, the lure of greatness, and the pursuit of redemption. Vince Young’s story is Shakespearean—and now, the world gets to see it in full.”
Episode Breakdown (Tentative Titles)
- “Third Ward Dreams” – Young’s childhood in Houston and his emergence as a high school phenom.
- “Burnt Orange Calling” – His recruitment and relationship with Mack Brown.
- “QB1” – Earning the starting job and battling early adversity at Texas.
- “Season of Destiny” – The perfect 2005 campaign and Texas’s march to glory.
- “4th and 5” – The legendary Rose Bowl night that changed college football forever.
- “NFL & the Noise” – The pressures, pitfalls, and promise of his NFL career.
- “Forever a Longhorn” – Young’s return to Austin, community work, and lasting legacy.
The series is expected to feature exclusive interviews with:
- Mack Brown – Former Texas head coach who shaped and protected Young’s development.
- Matthew McConaughey – Longhorn superfan and close personal friend of Young, who will also narrate portions of the series.
- Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart – USC stars who faced Young in the 2006 Rose Bowl.
- Colt McCoy, Ricky Williams, Earl Campbell, and other Longhorns greats.
- Young’s mother and grandmother, central figures in his life story.
A highlight of the series will be a re-creation of the 2006 Rose Bowl using advanced CGI and on-field actor recreations, allowing a new generation of fans to experience the game’s pivotal moments in immersive detail.
According to both Netflix and Young’s representatives, the timing couldn’t be better. With the EA Sports College Football video game returning, renewed interest in NCAA traditions, and Texas preparing to make waves in the SEC, there’s a hunger for the stories that define college football’s golden era.
“There are college football legends—and then there’s Vince Young,” said SpringHill co-founder Maverick Carter. “His story resonates because it’s about greatness earned and greatness tested.”
News of the project has rocked Longhorn Nation with excitement.
The UT athletics department announced it will host a red carpet premiere at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, open to students and former players. Austin mayor Kirk Watson also proclaimed that the day of the show’s premiere will be officially known as “Vince Young Day” in the city.
Fans flooded social media within minutes of the announcement:
- “The Rose Bowl doc I’ve been waiting two decades for.”
- “Vince Young getting his flowers—about time.”
- “If you don’t cry watching Episode 5, you’re not a real Longhorn.”
Since leading Texas to a national title, Young’s life has included triumph, struggle, reinvention, and rebirth. After a rocky NFL career and highly publicized personal setbacks, he returned to UT as a special assistant and mentor, becoming a fixture on campus, particularly with underprivileged and first-gen college students.
His story has become a case study in resilience and redemption.
“I’ve made mistakes. I’ve learned. I’ve grown. I want this series to show the real me—not just the player, but the man,” Young said.
Netflix confirmed that “Texas Forever” is just the beginning of a new wave of college sports-centered docu-series, with other programs like Alabama, USC, and Michigan reportedly in development. But Vince Young’s story, they say, is the “crown jewel”—a saga that’s both intensely personal and nationally iconic.
“No moment in modern college football history matches the 2006 Rose Bowl,” said Holland. “And no athlete embodied a university like Vince Young did at Texas.”
In the pantheon of college football, Vince Young is already immortal. But this Netflix series ensures his story reaches not just the fans who watched it unfold live—but also the next generation, who only know the legend, not the man.
As Netflix prepares to roll cameras and Texas prepares to return to national contention, the timing is perfect to remind the world: Vince Young didn’t just win a title—he changed the game.
“Texas Forever: The Vince Young Story” is coming. And it’s going to be must-watch television.
