It happened 20 years ago. A Texas A&M basketball game I attended, while in the fourth grade, ended up being one of the more influential experiences of my childhood.
My father picked me up after school that Wednesday afternoon, tricked me into thinking we were running errands and later revealed he had tickets to the game before making the drive from Fort Worth to College Station. A total surprise. Followed by another one: Acie Law IV delivering one of the biggest moments in Aggie sports history, now known as “The Shot.”
Over the next few years, I wrote about that game endlessly. Every essay in school. Every TAKS test (remember those?). I couldn’t get enough of it. So much so, one of my teachers, a Texas Tech grad, got sick of it and banned me from writing about A&M sports.
Fortunately, she can’t ban me now.
That surprise from my dad, that 46-43 defensive battle, that hysterical shot clock violation on P.J. Tucker, that signature knuckleball jumpshot from Law, that sea of white storming the court, all put me on a path to becoming a college sports reporter.
And now, my path is set to take another turn: covering Texas A&M athletics for On3.
What an opportunity this job will be. Since graduating college, I’ve been blessed to cover three big college programs for reputable outlets: Notre Dame for the South Bend Tribune (2018-21), Florida State for the Tallahassee Democrat (2022) and A&M for 247Sports (2023-26). Yet I’m more excited than ever about my next venture, for a lot of reasons.
In a sports journalism industry full of challenges, dying outlets, etc., everything Shannon Terry touches turns to gold. His extensive track record, cutting edge innovation and vision for the ever-adapting future of college athletics were all appealing.
The talent On3 has added caught my attention as well. The national reporters like Chris Low, Andy Staples and Brett McMurphy are top notch. Pete Nakos, Joe Tipton and Hayes Fawcett are news-breaking machines. The national recruiting analysts — Steve Wiltfong, Brandon Huffman, Allen Trieu, Chad Simmons, Sam Spiegelman and Greg Biggins — are collectively the best in the business. And there are so many impressive team sites.
How much On3 valued Aggie Yell, our A&M athletics coverage and me meant a lot, too. Being considered for this role alone was humbling. But for On3 to want me leading the team coverage, while pledging to fuel Aggie Yell with more resources than ever, went a long way. Jaxson “AT” Callaway and our soon-to-be announced recruiting reporter being here should make our coverage tough to beat.
To make the most of this opportunity, my mission is simple: to help give you the best A&M sports coverage possible. Fair, accurate and in-depth reporting on the team and its recruiting should be expected. So should our unique feature/analysis pieces you can’t find anywhere else. So should consistency with our day-to-day, boots-on-the-ground approach. So should our commitment to having a fun, active message board community.
The 12th Man certainly deserves comprehensive coverage of Aggie athletics. There’s too much passion. Too much tradition. Too many eyeballs to fall short.
It’s a great time to be following A&M sports, too. The football team is coming off one of its best seasons in recent memory. The men’s basketball team looked ahead of schedule in its first year under coach Bucky McMillan. The baseball team could host an NCAA Regional. There are several other exciting non-revenue programs as well, particularly the national championship volleyball team. Athletics director Trev Alberts is the kind of forward-thinking leader the Aggies needed, and he has helped establish a level of alignment their department long lacked. Maybe most importantly, the money, resources and commitment are all there.
Before starting at Aggie Yell, I couldn’t help but think back to where it all began: “The Shot.” And in my time following and covering A&M sports, I’ve been present for several other big moments in Aggie history. They have all come to mind leading up to my first day.
Then-freshman quarterback Reggie McNeal leading A&M to an upset win over No. 1 Oklahoma in 2002 marked the first-ever Aggie football game I attended. The other notable football games I saw in person include A&M vs. Texas in 2011 (sorry for bringing that up), when the Aggies and some guy named Johnny Manziel played their first SEC matchup against Florida (oops, another loss), the 2017 loss at UCLA after holding a 34-point lead (wait, am I bad luck?) and the biggest comeback in program history vs. South Carolina last season (OK, maybe I’m not so bad). Then, there’s the craziest comeback win in NCAA Tournament history vs. Northern Iowa in 2016, the first-ever run to the College World Series Finals in 2024 and numerous others.
I’m looking forward to being here for the next several big moments in Aggie history, giving A&M fans the content and insight they crave to make them even more special. I hope this community will continue to follow along and join us for all that’s to come.