Did Glen Powell go to Texas? Explaining 'College GameDay' guest picker's ties to Lone Star State

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Did Glen Powell go to Texas? Explaining 'College GameDay' guest picker's ties to Lone Star State originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The college football world will be locked into the biggest Week 2 matchup, as No. 1 Ohio State goes on the road to take on the No. 4 Texas Longhorns. The game is also the chosen site of ESPN's "College GameDay" this week. 

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Instead of the guest picker being someone like Longhorns fans and football ambassador Matthew McConoughey, it will be actor Glen Powell. 

Here's a look at Powell's connection with Texas to see why GameDay chose him as the guest picker. 

MORE: Ranking the best NFL Draft prospects in the Ohio State-Texas game

Did Glen Powell go to Texas?

Yes, Glen Powell attended Texas, but just for one year. He attended Texas after graduating from Westlake High School in Austin in 2007. But Powell dropped out to pursue his acting career. 

He moved to Los Angeles, and was enrolled with the UT's Semester in Los Angeles (UTLA) program. 

“I had literally just finished freshman year, which was the greatest year of my entire life,” Powell said of his time at Texas via Texas Monthly says, “and I was like, ‘I’m going to leave this place I’ve always dreamed about going to to be a struggling actor in a town where I know nobody.’ ”

MORE: Sporting News picks for Ohio State-Texas and other Week 2 games

Did Glen Powell graduate from Texas?

Powell did not graduate from Texas, as he began working  an actor full time after moving to Los Angeles. But in 2024, Powell told Indie Wire that he is currently enrolled in classes, and plans to graduate over the next few years. 

"I’m not going to be sitting in a class with other students on the regular," Powell told the outlet. "I’m basically going to be coming back because I have to finish up, but I’m going to be shooting “The Running Man” in the fall. So I’m going to be in London, but I am going to be going back for proctored exams. So, they’re letting me figure it out [with] distance learning. 

And I’m obviously going to be coming in, Zooming in for classes and whatnot, but I have to be back for the proctored exams. So, we’re figuring that out for two or three times a semester, I’ll come back for all my stuff. Edgar has been very nice about letting me finish my degree in the middle of his massive movie."

Texas has produced several big-name Hollywood actors, including McConaughey, Renee Zellweger, Owen Wilson and director Wes Anderson. 

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Where is Glen Powell from?

Powell's connection to the Longhorns run deep, as he was quite literally born in Austin, Texas. He played football and lacrosse for Westwood High School. His parents are Glen Sr. and Cyndy Powell. His father worked as an executive coach in Austin.  

MORE: Meet Texas QB Arch Manning's entire extended family

What is "Chad Powers?"

Powell has most recently starred in the Hulu television series "Chad Powers." The comedy depicts Powell as former disgraced Oregon quarterback Russ Holliday. He disguises himself as "Chad Powers" and walks on to a fictitious South Georgia college football team. 

The series was created by Powell, along with screenwriter Michael Waldron. The show is currently airing the second season, and features Eli and Peyton Manning as executive producers.  

Glen Powell training for "Chad Powers" 

To train for the role, the Mannings hooked Powell up with Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach Nic Shimonek. He described that they directed him to read defenses like quarterbacks do: 

“When I was actually on the field, it felt very immersive,” Powell sad via Deadline. “Because they also had former NFL players playing with us, putting on pads. Guys that are 350, 6’7, sprinting at me with everything they got.”

What else is Glen Powell in?

Powell's career began to grow in 2014, spending time working on various television shows like, "Jack & Bobby," "CSI: Miami," "NCIS," "Rizzoli & Isles" and more. In March of 2016, he starred in the "Dazed and Confused" sequel "Everybody Wants Some!!" Richard Linklater's which was filmed in Austin, Texas. 

Powell had his breakthrough in "Top Gun: Maverick," which was released in 2022. He has starred in various other movies such as   "Anyone but You," with Sydney Sweeney "Hit Man," "Twisters" and "The Running Man."

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