Ex-Texas Star Jordan Shipley in ‘Critical but Stable’ Condition After Ranch Accident

Brigid Kennedy | Jan 7, 2026

Shipley was drafted into the NFL in 2010. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Former Longhorns great Jordan Shipley suffered "severe" burns in an accident on his ranch on Tuesday, according to a statement from his family. The former receiver and kick returner is in critical but stable condition.

"Jordan was involved in an accident this afternoon near his hometown of Burnet," reads the statement, released via the UT Athletic Department. "The machine he was operating on his ranch caught fire, and although he managed to get out, it was not before sustaining severe burns on his body in the process.

"He was able to get one of his workers on his ranch who drove him to a local hospital. He was then care-flighted to Austin, where he remains in critical but stable condition."

Shipley, 40, played for the Longhorns from 2006 to 2009. He holds the program's single-season record for receiving yards (1,485) and receptions (116), and is also the Longhorns' career leader for receptions (248), per ESPN. He was later selected by the Bengals in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft, and eventually retired in 2014.

"We don't know exactly what happened yet, but, from what we've gathered so far, it's an absolute miracle that he is still here with us," Shipley's wife, Sunny, wrote in a Wednesday post on Instagram. "He was in the middle of nowhere and any other person would've gone into shock. He somehow made it to the only other person out there who was over 10 miles away."

She added that the "main concern at this moment" are Shipley's hands, his kidneys and preventing infection.

Wishing him a speedy and seamless recovery.

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