By: Grace Tafolla


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AUSTIN, Texas – No. 1 Texas Football’s Jack Endries was named to the preseason watch list for the John Mackey Award, The Friends of John Mackey announced Friday morning. The award is given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end as voted on by the John Mackey Award Selection Committee.

Endries has been named to the John Mackey Award preseason watch list in back-to-back seasons after earning a spot on the 2024 watch list while at Cal. 

Last season, former Longhorn Gunnar Helm was tabbed a semifinalist for the award, marking the third-consecutive year in which a Longhorn tight end has been lauded as a semifinalist. Former Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders was selected as a semifinalist for the award in 2022 and 2023.

In addition to the John Mackey Award preseason watch list, Endries was also placed on the preseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award on Aug. 6 and was a preseason Third-Team All-SEC selection in July.

A junior in 2025, Endries has joined the Longhorns after playing two seasons at Cal where he started all 26 games of those years. He led the Golden Bears with 623 receiving yards on 56 receptions (11.13 ypc) as a redshirt sophomore in 2024. Endries earned All-ACC Honorable Mention after ranking third amongst all ACC tight ends in receiving yards, averaging 47.9 receiving yards per game. He also snagged two touchdown receptions and recorded a pair of 100-yard receiving efforts in 2024. The Danville, Calif. product paced Cal with three receptions for 78 yards, including a career-long 57-yard touchdown reception, vs. No. 8 Miami on Oct. 5, 2024. Endries followed with another stellar performance at No. 22 Pitt on Oct. 12, pulling in eight catches for a career-high 119 receiving yards and a score. Endries recorded his second 100-yard receiving performance in as many games after snaring a career-high nine receptions for 101 yards vs. NC State on Oct. 19. Endries concluded the 2024 campaign with seven receptions for 61 yards against UNLV in the Art of LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk on Dec. 18.

As a freshman in 2023, he earned first-team (College Football Network), second-team (The Athletic) and honorable mention (College Football News) Freshman All-America honors after registering 35 receptions for 407 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 31.3 yards per game. Endries was Cal’s nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy in 2023, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding FBS player who began his career as a walk-on. In two seasons at Cal, Endries has played in 26 games and has manufactured 91 receptions for 1,030 receiving yards and four touchdowns. His 1,030 receiving yards over the previous two seasons are the most by any returning Power Four tight end.

The award is named for NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey, who is considered to be one of the best to have played the tight end position. Mackey was a role model on and off the field as demonstrated by his Super Bowl Championship, his commitment to community and his place in history as the first President of the NFLPA.

The recipient of the award will be presented at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Friday, Dec. 12, on ESPN.

Endries and the Longhorns open the 2025 season on the road at No. 2 Ohio State at 11 a.m. CT Saturday, Aug. 30, inside Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The game will broadcast as part of FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff, and ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast live from the Ohio State University campus. College GameDay will air for three hours from 8-11 a.m. CT, hosted by Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, Pat McAffee, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit and other ESPN personalities. It will be the final show for longtime ESPN personality Lee Corso as he is set to retire following Week 1 of the 2025 season.