The Mesquite Poteet and University of Texas standout is marrying into a legendary Dallas football family.
DALLAS — Former Dallas Cowboys and University of Texas linebacker Malik Jefferson is joining a legendary Dallas football family.
Jefferson, 29, who was a standout at Mesquite Poteet High School and a star linebacker for the Longhorns who went on to play for the Cowboys for two seasons, is engaged to Madison Dorsett, the daughter of legendary former Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett. The news of the engagement was first reported by the Houston Chronicle.
Madison, who played soccer at the University of Texas, took to Instagram to share the news of the engagement.
“My favorite chapter yet,” Madison wrote in the post, which included photos of her and Jefferson posing with the engagement ring on a boat.
“Thank you guys for all of the love & kind messages,” she wrote in a follow-up post.
Jefferson was chosen as the 2014 High School Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top high school linebacker while at Mesquite Poteet and was selected freshman All-America by the Football Writers Association of America in 2015 while at the University of Texas.
He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft. He played seven seasons in the NFL with six different teams, ending with a brief stint with the Detroit Lions in 2024, as the Detroit Free Press reported.
Jefferson will join a family with an even more decorated football player.
Tony Dorsett played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1977 to 1987, is a Super Bowl XII champion, and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
When he retired in 1988, Dorsett ranked second in NFL history to only Payton in rushing yards with 12,739.