University of Texas
McGee was a college football placekicker for the University of Texas Longhorns. He played four years for the team and handled at various times the punts, kickoffs, and field goals. He was the starting kicker for the Longhorn football team as they won the NCAA National Championship. [1] McGee played in all 51 games in his four seasons. His primary duty was as a punter, [2] but he also was the long field goal placekicker. During 2003 he was the starting punter for the team, [3] and also handled all the kick-offs. [1] As a member of the 2004 Texas Longhorns football team Mack Brown mentions him as the star of special teams. [1] On the 2005 Texas Longhorns football team he was the starting kicker, punter, and kickoff specialist.
McGee was an Engineering student focused on making excellent grades. While studying, his sister, Mollie, came by his dorm (Moore-Hill) on the way to the first home game where he was studying with roommate John Walters. She had extra tickets, and they went to the game. After noticing the short kickoffs during the game, McGee walked on the team.
McGee joined the team as a walk-on in the fall of 2001 and steadily became a key contributor, handling both punting and kickoff duties across multiple seasons. He was recognized for his academic and athletic excellence, earning First-Team Academic All-Big 12 honors in 2004. McGee became a standout specialist featured in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, played in 51 career games for the Texas Longhorns. Over his career, he had nearly 100 touchbacks on kickoffs—and consistently demonstrated exceptional field position control and versatility.
As a junior in 2004, McGee handled all punting and kickoff duties in 12 games. He averaged 39.7 yards on 49 punts, with 11 of them placed inside the opponent's 20-yard line and 25 going unreturned. On kickoffs, he recorded 28 touchbacks on 75 attempts (37%). Notable performances include eight punts against Arkansas with a long of 53 yards, a 57-yard season-long punt versus Baylor, and four punts inside the 20-yard line against No. 2 Oklahoma—holding the Sooners to just three first-half points. He also pinned a punt at the three-yard line versus Missouri, leading to a UT interception returned for a touchdown. At Texas Tech, he hit a 55-yard punt and made a 44-yard field goal—the only attempt of his career. He added strong showings against Colorado (45.0 average), Oklahoma State (50-yard punt), Texas A&M (44.5 average), and Michigan in the Rose Bowl (39.8 average with two touchbacks).
During the 2003 season, McGee played in all 13 games, averaging 40.9 yards on 46 punts, with 10 inside the 20 and five resulting in touchbacks. He kicked off 88 times, recording 37 touchbacks (42%), while opponents began drives, on average, at the 21-yard line. He shared UT’s Frank Denius Most Valuable Special Teams Player award and earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors three times. Against Tulane, he averaged a season-best 49.0 yards on two punts and had five touchbacks on 10 kickoffs. At Iowa State, he posted a 42.8-yard average on four punts and four touchbacks on seven kickoffs. He also averaged 47.0 yards on four punts and had three touchbacks on six kickoffs in a standout performance against No. 12 Nebraska. That year, he recorded a career-long 58-yard punt on two occasions—against Arkansas and Kansas State.
In 2002, as a redshirt freshman, McGee handled all kickoff duties and delivered 26 touchbacks on 86 attempts (31.7%). Opponents’ average starting field position was the 26-yard line. He was recognized with UT’s “Whatever It Takes” Award and shared the Frank Denius Special Teams Player of the Game honor for his performance against Oklahoma State, where he had three touchbacks on four kickoffs. He recorded a season-high four touchbacks at North Carolina and had three touchbacks in games against Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, and Tulane. McGee redshirted during the 2001 season. McGee was a four-time member of UT’s Athletics Director’s Honor Roll. He was also named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll in Fall 2003. Active in UT’s community service initiatives and a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, McGee served as a summer camp counselor and embraced opportunities to mentor youth.
