TEXSEF 2026 at the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center at Baylor University felt bigger than a tournament. It felt like a glimpse into where scholastic esports is heading.
Thousands of students, coaches, advisors, parents, and industry leaders came together for a weekend that celebrated competition, creativity, teamwork, and community. The energy inside the venue never slowed down. Every hallway buzzed with players, spectators, and schools proudly representing their programs across Texas.
As a proud sponsor of TEXSEF, it was incredible to watch the event continue to grow and evolve. Events like this are exactly why we believe so strongly in scholastic esports and the opportunities it creates for students both inside and outside the classroom.
A massive amount of credit goes to Danielle and the entire TEXSEF team. Danielle absolutely crushed this event. Running something at this scale is not easy, especially with multiple game titles, activations, stages, and schools all operating simultaneously. Yet the weekend still felt organized, welcoming, and completely focused on the student experience.
The venue itself also deserves major recognition!
The esports facility at Baylor University is one of the best collegiate esports spaces in the country. Adam Stanley and his staff and advisors have built something truly special in Waco. As a proud ggCircuit customer, Baylor continues to raise the standard for what a collegiate esports program and facility can look like. The Hurd Center created the perfect environment for competition, production, and community all under one roof.
The level of competition was impressive, but what stood out most was the passion behind these programs. You could see how much time and effort schools, coaches, advisors, and students have invested into building esports communities across the state.
That is the real story of TEXSEF.
This is no longer a niche activity sitting on the sidelines. Scholastic esports has become a legitimate pathway for leadership, STEM education, broadcasting, media production, teamwork, and student engagement. What happened at Baylor this weekend was bigger than trophies and brackets. It was students finding confidence, community, and opportunity through gaming.
Texas esports is not coming anymore.
Texas is now the standard.
