A Texas fan is trying to make the most out of his viral moment.
Grant Walther became a meme for Longhorns sadness after ESPN cameras showed him glumly looking out on the field Saturday night with Texas trailing Georgia, 30-15, with a little more than three minutes left in the game.
Walther’s look of disappointment and notable hairstyle made him a popular figure to poke fun at on social media.
“Someone said he’s wearing a guardian cap,” the RedditCFB account wrote on X.
“Just insane aura,” media personality Pete Blackburn wrote on X.
But Walther tells the Daily Mail that he has embraced his newfound fame.
“I want to be a lawyer — that’s my goal,” he told the website. “I never had ‘internet meme’ as something that I wished to achieve. But I guess it’s here…it has been the most out-of-this-world experience.”
And he said he hopes to turn that experience into a charitable event … with the help of Texas’ most famous fan.
“I know Matthew McConaughey was cutting players’ hair,” Walther said. “Maybe he can cut mine on the field and raise some money for cancer awareness. My grandmother just recently got diagnosed with breast cancer and then beat it. This is the perfect platform for me to advocate for the things I care most about.”
Walther said his friends alerted him immediately that he was going viral and he now gets stopped on the Austin campus by strangers to say hello.
And about that now-famous hair?
“I have just naturally thick hair, I use 2-in-1 hair wash (and) I do absolutely nothing to my hair,” Walther said. “I wake up every morning and take my shower, wash my hair, and by midday, when it dries it just takes a mind of its own, and decides to look like this. There’s absolutely nothing I can do about it.”
The setback against Georgia marked Texas’ first loss and throws into question the Longhorns’ validity as national title contenders after being ranked No. 1.
Georgia dominated throughout and raced to a 23-0 halftime lead, while Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers struggled.
The game turned ugly late in third quarter when Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron intercepted a pass from Georgia’s Carson Beck and returned it inside the Bulldogs’ 5-yard line.
However, there was a dubious pass interference penalty called on Barron and Texas fans eventually showed their displeasure by showering the field with bottles.
The call was eventually overturned.
Texas travels to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt on Saturday as it looks to bounce back against a surprising Commodores team that is ranked No. 25 in the country and upset Alabama earlier this season.
