Texas Football Team Grounded by FAA Travel Halt

The Texas Longhorns trip to Baton Rouge to take on LSU hit a snag on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all departing flights nationwide.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced the directive Friday afternoon, confirming a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports that disrupted travel schedules for multiple athletic teams heading into weekend competitions, as reported by longhornswire.usatoday.com.

“FAA technicians are investigating the issue,” Duffy said in a post on X, adding that the agency would provide updates as they became available.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters outside the White House that a telecommunication outage throughout the FAA prompted the nationwide ground stoppage.

The travel restrictions caught more than a dozen athletic programs across the country. Within the Southeastern Conference alone, teams including Ole Miss and Tennessee also found their travel plans grounded by the sudden federal directive.

Longhorns players and staff returned to the University of Texas campus for a team meal and a walkthrough while waiting for updates. The chartered flight remained on standby on the tarmac should the FAA lift the halt order before kickoff preparations required alternative travel arrangements.

Athletic Department Officials Scramble to Determine Travel Timelines

The exact impact on stranded programs remains unknown as athletic department officials scramble to determine how and when teams will reach their destinations. Transportation authorities have not yet specified a timeline for restoring normal flight operations across the national airspace system.

More on this story: FAA Ground Stop Delays Arizona State Football Travel to Orlando