Cari Spears can’t recall a time when she wasn’t competing.
The Texas volleyball outside hitter grew up in a household of athletes who loved nothing more than to be top dog in whatever activity they could find.
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“You name it, we play it,” the freshman said. “We race. We play board games. We time who can do jump rope the longest. Everyone wants to win.”
And it’s not the kids doing the most trash-talking.
Texas Longhorns outside hitter Cari Spears (23) smiles during the lineup announcement ahead of the Longhorns’ 3-0 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second round of the DI NCAA Volleyball Tournament, Dec 6, 2025 in the Gregory Gymnasium.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
“My parents are so competitive,” Spears said. “One night we stayed up until 2 a.m. playing Monopoly. My mom won and let us know about it. Me, my brother and my sister were so mad. There were tears at the table.”
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TEXAS VS. INDIANA
When/where: 11 a.m. Friday at Gregory Gymnasium.
TV/radio: ESPN.
Her athletic bloodlines run deep. Former NFL player Marcus Spears and his wife Aiysha, who played hoops in the WNBA, have passed down their competitive fire to eldest daughter Cari, son Marcus Jr. and baby girl Miko.
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When the Longhorns face off against Indiana in Friday’s Sweet 16 match at Gregory Gymnasium, you won’t have to strain to see Cari’s folks, especially Dad. Just look for the 6-foot-4, bearded giant a few rows behind the scorer’s table who stands the whole game. Spears is typically yelling encouragement to his daughter, who started out as a tennis player but quickly fell in love with volleyball after she realized she wasn’t a fan of the North Texas heat that accompanied holding a racquet.
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Marcus Spears, the father of Texas Longhorns outside hitter Cari Spears (23), cheers the Longhorns on in the third set of the their 3-0 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second round of the DI NCAA Volleyball Tournament, Dec 6, 2025 in the Gregory Gymnasium.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
“I knew nothing about volleyball at first,” Marcus Spears said. “My wife and sister played basketball, so I was heavily ingrained in that, but man, this volleyball is unbelievably fun.”
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The analytical thinking cap we see weekly during Spears’ appearances on ESPN’s “NFL Live” and “Monday Night Countdown” has come in handy for volleyball.
“I’ve taught him some stuff,” Cari said. “He does a pretty good job of learning things on his own. He looks up stuff on YouTube and will send me some things he has learned. He’s into it.”
The birth of an athletic empire
Before Marcus Spears became a fan favorite on ESPN, the gentle giant affectionately known as “Swagu” was an All-American defensive end for Nick Saban’s LSU Tigers. The Bayou Bengals faithful still talk about his 20-yard interception return for a touchdown in the 2003 national championship game win over Oklahoma.
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He remembers college more for the woman who stole his heart. The same year the Tigers won it all, a young lady by the name of Aiysha Smith was starring for LSU’s women’s basketball team.
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They fell for one another, went on to play pro sports as a pair of first-round picks and then started a family in the Metroplex. Marcus spent nine seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and Aiysha played two with the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. These days, Marcus works most of his ESPN shifts remotely, which has allowed the parents to split time at Cari and Miko’s volleyball matches and Marcus Jr.’s basketball games.
Texas Longhorns setter Ella Swindle (1) and Texas Longhorns outside hitter Cari Spears (23) celebrate a point as The Longhorns take on Florida A&M during the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
Junior, a 6-foot-7 power forward at Prestonwood Christian Academy — the same school that produced NBA star Julius Randle and Texas baseball’s Cameron Rupp, who went on to play for MLB’s Philadelphia Phillies — is the No. 1-ranked junior in America according to most major recruiting rankings.
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It’s a family sports dynasty, already well formed.
“Nothing comes easy in my family because we compete hard,” Cari said. “We all want to beat each other. It’s always been that way.”
A tried and true recruiting model
When it came to time pick a college, Cari had a tough choice because everyone wanted her, especially her parents’ alma mater, LSU. She ultimately decided on the Longhorns, who are no stranger to tabbing second-generation stars.
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Asjia O’Neal, the daughter of former NBA star Jermaine O’Neal, was an All-American middle blocker who led the program to national titles in 2022 and 2023 alongside outside hitter Madisen Skinner, whose father Brian played 14 years in the NBA. During the second-round win over Penn State, Cari competed against Ava and Caroline Jurevicius (a pair of sisters whose dad, Joe, played 14 seasons in the NFL) and freshman outside hitter Alexis Ewing, the daughter of basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing.
Nationally, Stanford middle blocker Sidney Duncan is the daughter of basketball legend Tim Duncan while USC middle blocker Rylie McGinest is the daughter of three-time Super Bowl champion Willie McGinest.
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With Spears, Texas coach Jerritt Elliott was drawn to more than her 6-foot-3 height, athleticism and the ability to make clutch plays on an consistent basis; it was her upbringing that stood out.
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“From the very first day she felt trust within our team, but character is really important and she’s taken a lot of pride in that,” Elliott said. “To me, it stems from the home and it’s fun to see these pro athletes that are doing such a good job as parents. Volleyball is the important part, but the way they are raising them and teaching the skillsets to be successful as human beings is really cool to see.”
Penn State coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley said second-generation athletes have that extra something burning inside that makes coaching them ideal.
“They want to win,” she said. “We have quite a few kids who have NBA and NFL parents. I think their parents push them — their dads especially — to be great. It’s good to see the dads in a different seat cheering for the girls.”
Swagu is leading the charge in Austin. His daughter is enjoying an incredible start to her college career. Second on the team only to star outside hitter Torrey Stafford with 388 kills, she’s an All-SEC first-teamer who made the all-tournament squad during the conference tourney. She also was named the SEC player of the week twice and freshman of the week five times. And don’t be shocked if she’s named the AVCA national freshman of the year in the coming weeks.
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Texas Longhorns head coach Jerritt Elliott talks with Texas Longhorns libero Ramsey Gary (32) as The Longhorns take on Florida A&M during the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
Great early success aside, she’s still a teenager who needs Mom and Dad to provide a pick-me-up on occasion, especially if things aren’t going well and you’re sitting in a hotel room on the other side of the world. Over the summer while playing for the USA U19 national team at the FIVB World Championship in Croatia, she hit the wall.
“I was not feeling present,” she said. “I had been there for two weeks and we had played like eight games and I was having a tough time. I called my dad first then I talked to mom. Having both of them just a phone call away really helped.”
She probably could have used a Monopoly marathon at the house at the time, but hearing their calming voices was enough to get her through.
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Sports has always been the pastime at the Spears’ household but love, faith and family rule the roost amid all the friendly banter.
“Me and my wife loved playing sports but watching these kids grow up doing what they love is the best feeling in life,” Marcus Spears said. “They’re the priority.”
