As the Texans sported their respective dress-up fits on the red carpet, there was a collective theme anchoring their annual Season Premiere charity event.
Benefiting the growth of girls flag football, the money raised at the event goes toward continuing to grow the sport. Texans community foundation vice president Hannah McNair is one of the leaders in Texas and in the NFL.
The Texans want to make girls flag football an officially sanctioned sport at all high schools across the state. The Texans’ official girls team, based out of Austin, won the overall NFL championship and visited the defending AFC South champions at training camp.
“Girls flag Football has really taken off since we started this,” Hannah McNair said. “It has grown 925%, so almost tenfold what we’ve been able to do since 2023. And all the funds go towards girls flag and taking it to the communities to provide opportunities. And that is why we’re here.”
Kathleen Caserio, Texans general manager Nick Caserio’s wife, noted that girls flag football is now in 80 high schools ranging from Houston, Austin and El Paso.
“I think we’re excited to raise some funds to make sure that this is a successful event,” Caserio said. “I think that we just want to get this sanctioned and be able to take these girls on the path to be able to play this at a higher level.
“It’s been great. Last year, we raised over $1.4 million and that’s going to help us to get out there into the community and make an impact. This is a sport that really the girls can start at a young age and and really anybody can play it.“
Jamila Ryans, the wife of Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, is upbeat about the growing sport of flag football. Especially in Texas.
“I am so excited about girls flag football,” Ryans said. “I grew up in Texas. I’m a Texas girl. We love football. Always wanted to play it, but I had to watch my brothers. I had settled for watching it. And so to see these young girls have the opportunity to play and to live out a dream I always had, it’s just so exciting and we have two girls and we have a daughter that wants to play. So, just the idea that she could possibly one day play in the Olympics is just amazing. Really excited to be helping out in that cause.”
#Texans Cal McNair, Hannah McNair at annual Season Premiere event to benefit girls flag football @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/dcHgiubAGV
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 29, 2025
Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o, a returning starter, said the McNair family communicated the significance of flag football to the team in a meeting.
“I think it’s beautiful, man,” To’oTo’o said. “Just being able to have the sport, and we talked about it with the McNair’s at a team meeting, like how much football’s done for us, and the opportunity that girls have and flag football has to be able to reach them. And the opportunity that it brings is huge.
“So for us to be able to share that and be a part of it is because for us, we get to share the excitement of this season. I feel like it’s just about providing positive energy and what we’re feeding off on this field. Man, we’re super excited about this season, so we want them feel that.”
The Texans have won the past two consecutive AFC South division titles under the leadership of coach DeMeco Ryans and Caserio. They open the season Sept. 7 on the road against the Los Angeles Rams at Sofi Stadium.
“We’re getting close,” Cal McNair said. “So, we can’t wait to go to LA and play a really good team there. And off we go into a really fun, fun season. So, we’ll see what happens. We’re excited for the year. It’s been a good offseason. They’re working well together.
“The team looks good on the field. The preseason games have been, for us, a lot of fun to watch and see the team come together and see where we’re going to go next week as it starts. So we’re here and we’re excited about it.”
The Texans return former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud at quarterback, former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. at defensive end opposite Pro Bowl selection Danielle Hunter. The team returns Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins, All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., team captain Azeez Al-Shaair at middle linebacker and added wide receivers Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. The Texans are regarded as a strong playoff contender.
“Hopefully they’re excited for this season,” Nick Caserio said. “Hopefully, they’re proud of the team that we put together. We got a lot of great people in this building, players, coaches, staff. So, we’re just gonna go out there and try to represent the city of Houston the best we can on a week-to-week basis.”
Under the direction of Ryans, a former Pro Football Writers of America NFL Coach of the Year, the Texans have won a playoff game each of his first two seasons. The team hopes to advance past the AFC divisional round for the first time in franchise history and make a deep playoff run, if not a Super Bowl run.
Ryans has galvanized the team and the city since the two-time Pro Bowl linebacker took the job with the Texans, the team that drafted him and installed him as a rookie starter who was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
“It’s awesome to think back when we first got here to now to feel the excitement, feel the buzz around the city, see everyone excited about Houston Texans football,” Ryans said. “That was one of my main goals I said to accomplish coming back here to be the head coach was to bring great energy back to the city and get our fans and everyone around the city excited about what we’re doing.
“Because it’s not only our team and organization, it’s the entire city. Everybody in the city of Houston, we’re doing this for the city and we want our city to be proud of us, proud of what we do out on the field. And we’re very thankful for the support that we continue to get all around the city.”
#Texans GM Nick Caserio and his wife, Kathleen Caserio, at team’s annual Season Premiere charity event benefiting girls flag football through their foundation @KPRC2 https://t.co/stYI7FX5IX pic.twitter.com/PUugM6d7nT
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 28, 2025
#Texans annual Season Premiere: Tim Settle Jr. @tim_settle and Will Anderson Jr. @will_anderson28 @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/lOdnvFCjol
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 28, 2025
#Texans annual Season Premiere: Tank Dell @Tankdell4 and Tim Settle Jr. @tim_settle Calen Bullock @CalenBullock and Kamari Lassiter @kamari_lassiter KPRC2 https://t.co/c014EJX7Xp pic.twitter.com/CNIdv3Xuac
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 28, 2025
#Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o @HenryTootoo1 at annual Season Premiere charity event @KPRC2 @AlabamaFTBL @RyanWilliamsA1 @AthletesFirst https://t.co/stYI7FX5IX pic.twitter.com/Un4LE70AhE
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 29, 2025
#Texans Tytus Howard, Blake Fisher, Derek Stingley Jr. Dameon Pierce @KPRC2 https://t.co/FVeXlxdeCa pic.twitter.com/lpcG0w01Db
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 28, 2025
#Texans Danielle Hunter @DHunt94_TX E.J. Speed @EJ_SPEED Tommy Townsend @tommy_townsend Jayden Higgins and @JaydenHiggins3 @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/KbljF8RepA
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 29, 2025
#Texans coach DeMeco Ryans and wife, Jamila, at annual Season Premiere charity event @KPRC2 benefiting girls flag football @KPRC2 https://t.co/jTgIfPQ3Lp pic.twitter.com/P6W5n48Rrk
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 28, 2025
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com