Mark Cho, a sport management senior at The University of Texas at Austin, grew up in Pasadena, California, where he played high school football for the Harvard-Westlake Wolverines and dreamed of playing at the collegiate level one day. Four years and thousands of miles later, you can now find Cho on the sidelines at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in a role that’s integral to Texas Football’s success — as a student manager.
Despite growing up outside of Texas, Cho had UT on his radar. In high school, his academic adviser put it plainly: “If you’re interested in sports and want good academics, The University of Texas at Austin is the place to be.”
His interest in football led him to the sport management program in the College of Education. During the fall of his sophomore year, he applied through the program to intern for UT Athletics and shortly after became a student manager full time.
Student managers play a critical role in the operations of the football program. They’re among the first ones in the building, setting up equipment for practice and games. They do everything from spotting the ball and throwing to receivers during practice to setting up the locker room for game day.
“Mark’s kind of a cool customer at all times. He’s really dependable,” said Assistant Athletic Equipment Manager Ali Kabani. “When we travel and we have to make sure that everything for our athletes and coaches is seamless, I have to trust you. And I have developed that trust for Mark.”
In fact, Cho was one of only a few student managers Kabani selected to travel to the 2025 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, flying out early to help athletes prepare for the game.
In addition to his job with Texas Football, Cho participated in other opportunities available to him during his time at UT — taking classes on specialized topics such as Name, Image and Likeness (NIL); studying abroad in Denmark; and holding multiple sports agency internships.
After graduating this spring, he plans to continue with the work he’s built while at UT — developing NIL opportunities and crafting brand-based storytelling — this time, representing NFL players full time.
“Being here … was one of the best decisions I could have made,” said Cho. “The things that I’ve gotten to experience here are unique to this school, and knowing that I could be part of one of the biggest sports brands in the world, it’s just incomparable to anywhere else.”
