Hearst Newspapers Expands Texas Sports Coverage Through First Statewide College Football Collaboration

AUSTIN, August 18, 2026 - Hearst Newspapers is bringing together seven Texas newsrooms to launch its first statewide college football preview, giving readers broader, deeper coverage ahead of the 2026 season.

The special section will appear in print on Sunday, Aug. 23, in the Austin American-Statesman, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News, The Dallas Morning News, Beaumont Enterprise, Laredo Morning Times and Midland Reporter-Telegram, and will also be published online. Together, the participating newsrooms represent a combined audience of over 10 million readers and include more than a dozen sports journalists covering college football across Texas.

Each newspaper will feature locally customized pages of coverage and shared statewide content produced collaboratively by the Hearst Texas network. Editorial coverage will include preseason rankings, conference outlooks, players to watch, rivalry matchups, season predictions and other statewide college football coverage.

"Texas is home to some of the nation's most passionate college football fans, and no one understands these teams better than the journalists who cover them every day," said Mark Medici, publisher of the Austin American-Statesman and San Antonio Express-News. "By bringing together that expertise from across our Texas newsrooms, we're able to give readers a broader view of the season while preserving the hometown coverage they expect from their local newspaper."

The collaboration gives reporters and columnists an opportunity to compare insights, challenge one another's assumptions and provide readers with perspectives that extend beyond their local markets.

"No state boasts more national title contenders than Texas, so the timing of this exciting collaboration among Hearst Texas newsrooms coincides with what could be a historic year for the Lone Star State," said Tommy Magelssen, sports editor for The Dallas Morning News. "College football fans are unrivaled in their passion for information and debate on the strongest teams, players and fan traditions. We are excited to work with Texas' top newsrooms to deliver illuminating coverage to readers."

The Aug. 23 preview marks the beginning of an ongoing collaboration throughout the college football season, including shared rankings, analysis and other special sports coverage. The project also reflects growing collaboration between Hearst's Texas newspapers on a range of topics, creating journalism that serves readers while opening new opportunities for advertisers.

"Each of our Texas newspapers has deep roots in its community and distinctive expertise that readers trust," said Jeff Johnson, president of Hearst Newspapers. "This collaboration demonstrates the strength of Hearst's Texas network by delivering broader perspectives, richer storytelling and an even more valuable experience for readers while offering advertisers a unique opportunity to reach passionate college football audiences statewide."

The section is included for subscribers and will be available with single-copy editions of the Aug. 23 newspaper. Fans can also purchase the standalone keepsake edition through the online stores of participating publications, including Shop.Statesman.com.

About Hearst Newspapers
Hearst Newspapers (HNP) is the operating group responsible for Hearst's newspapers, local digital marketing services businesses and directories. With more than 2,500 colleagues across the nation, HNP publishes 30 dailies and 50 weeklies. HNP is investing in new and innovative ways to tell stories - expanding newsrooms and evolving platforms - to serve the 45 million readers a month who rely on its content to help them make decisions, take action and be inspired. From AI-powered newsroom tools to smarter sales strategies, HNP teams are putting innovation to work - enhancing experiences for both readers and employees.

Contact:
Mark Campbell, Hearst Newspapers, [email protected]