Those who follow Texas Athletics and have been on social media this past week have probably heard the term “Bevo Lab” floating around.
They might also know that the term refers to a new collaboration between Texas Athletics and AI, which could impact the way coaches at Texas approach practices and games going forward. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte even said Bevo Lab will “transform college athletics.”
But even if they know all that, they might still have the following questions: what could a partnership between college athletics and AI even look like?
So, for those wondering, here are the basics of Bevo Lab and its intended impact on athletics at the University of Texas:
The lab, which exists inside the Innovation Tower just southeast of UT’s campus, will essentially be a data center that holds sports-specific data for Texas Athletics. Its goal is to help compile data from games, practices, wearable technologies, etc., and formulate comprehensive strategies to help improve individual and team performances.
According to Del Conte, Bevo Lab could make Texas Athletics the most data-driven athletic program in the nation.
The partnership is being launched by Texas Athletics and the McCombs School of Business’s Business of Sports Institute. It is sponsored by Dell Technologies Inc., Google Cloud and SHI International.
It could provide an opportunity for up to 40 student researchers to contribute, working under the guidance of Kirk Goldsberry, a sports data analyst and the executive director of the Business of Sports Institute.
Goldsberry, who is also the former San Antonio Spurs vice president of strategic research, has played an integral role in getting this new platform off the ground, and he gave more insight about Bevo Lab following its launch.
“It’s like an intelligence agency for our athletics department, and giving them better data, better analytics (and) better facts about game plans, about personnel, about nutrition, about even their own schedule,” Goldsberry said. “Student athletes are at the heart of this deal, and if we’re not doing a good job with their data in 2026, in 2028, in 2030: we’re not doing a good job serving our student athletes.”
The lab made its debut in Texas’ football game last week, and it will later be utilized throughout all 21 Texas varsity sports. Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian provided a few of his thoughts on Bevo Lab in a media availability on Monday.
“I think it’s going to behoove all of us in the athletic department,” Sarkisian said. “It can help us for 12 months. I think so many people hear ‘Bevo Lab,’ and it’s just game day. There’s a lot that goes into that. As you all know, I believe in sports science. I think we’ve come too far not to believe in science.”
Sarkisian said he thinks it’s a great partnership and one that could help improve Texas Athletics altogether.
What Bevo Lab’s implementation will look like will vary between sports, but it could change the way data is viewed within Texas Athletics as a whole moving forward.
