AUSTIN, Texas — The big game is headed to Las Vegas, but as always, it will feature plenty of Lone Star State flair.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is arguably the most notable player from Texas appearing in Super Bowl LVIII. Mahomes grew up in East Texas before spending three years at Texas Tech.
Meanwhile, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan may not be a Texas native, but he did spend time on a juggernaut Texas Longhorns team that featured Major Applewhite, Roy Williams and Cedric Benson, just to name a few.
Here's a full list of players on both rosters along with their connection to Texas:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Nick Bolton, LB
- A North Texas native, Bolton was born and raised in Frisco. He attended Lone Star High School before committing to Missouri.
- Patrick Mahomes, QB
- Born in Tyler, Mahomes played football at Whitehouse High School. He would go on to have a legendary run at Texas Tech. The rest is history.
- Charles Omenihu, DE (Injured)
- The Texas Ex was born in Houston before moving to North Texas. Omenihu went to Rowlett High School and became one of the best defensive ends in the country. He'll miss the Super Bowl after tearing his ACL in the AFC Championship.
- Lucas Niang, OL
- Once ranked the best offensive tackle in Connecticut, Niang decided to take his talents to Texas, picking TCU over Auburn, Miami and Penn State.
- Rashee Rice, WR
- Rice grew up in North Texas and attended Richland High School. As a senior with SMU, Rice led the FBS in receiving yards per game and won several awards before being drafted in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
- BJ Thompson, DE
- Originally from Arkansas, Thompson came to Texas and played for Baylor before transferring to Stephen F. Austin. He was drafted by the Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
San Francisco 49ers
- Jake Brendel, OL
- Born in Wisconsin, Brendel is a Plano native who played at Plano East Senior High School as a defensive tackle before moving to the offensive line. He was an all-district first-team lineman as a junior and senior.
- Spencer Burford, OL
- San Antonio born and raised, Burford was a standout at Wagner High School before joining UTSA as the school's first-ever four-star signee.
- Tashaun Gipson Sr., S
- Gipson was born in California, but raised in Texas. The former three-sport athlete dominated at Kimball High School in Dallas before attending Wyoming.
- Danny Gray, WR (Injured Reserve)
- Gray's football career is as Texas as it gets. The wide receiver attended James Madison High School in Dallas before playing college ball at Blinn and SMU.
- Kemon Hall, CB (Practice Squad)
- A Mississippi product, Hall started 25 games for North Texas and recorded 120 tackles along with six interceptions.
- Matt Pryor, OL
- A massive offensive lineman out of California, Pryor played college football at TCU. Redshirted as a freshman, Pryor went on to be named to the 2017 Second-Team All-Big 12 and 2017 Second-Team AP All-Big 12 as a senior.
- Jason Verrett, CB (Practice Squad/Injured Reserve)
- Another California native, Verrett transferred to TCU for three years. He played in 37 games and started 34 of them. In 2013, Verrett was named Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
- Trent Williams, OL
- Born and raised in East Texas, Williams attended Longview High School and became one of the best offensive guards in the country before committing to Oklahoma.
- Brayden Willis, TE
- Another Oklahoma Sooners product, Willis is a North Texas native who attended Arlington Martin High School. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
- Dee Winters, LB
- Winters is from a small town called Burton, which is about 15 minutes west of Brenham. He played football at Burton High School as a wide receiver before he was recruited to play safety at TCU. He was then moved to linebacker.
