Aggies Name LB Sam Matthews 12th Man

The Aggies have a new 12th Man to begin the upcoming season in College Station.

Texas A&M has a new 12th Man to lead the team in the 2023 season. 

Graduate student linebacker Sam Matthews was named the Aggies' new 12th Man for the impending year, the school announced Tuesday. The senior willed replace long snapper Connor Choate, who displayed the number during his final season in College Station. 

"I can't even put it into words," Mathews said of being named the 12th Man in a video posted to the official A&M football team X page on Tuesday. "It's unexplainable. I feel like everything I've worked for is finally paying off."

Introducing the next #12thMan 👍@Sam_Mathews2 #️⃣1️⃣2️⃣ pic.twitter.com/h6QJsWQGnS

— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) August 29, 2023

Matthews, a former walk-on, made sense to switch his number from No. 29 to 12 after embodying what the honor is all about. A former standout at Clear Creek High School in League City (Texas), Matthews worked his way up the ladder to carve out a role on the roster while impressing the coaching staff in the process. 

Since his arrival, the 6-3, 210-pound linebacker has been influential on special teams while serving as a backup for players like Edgerrin Cooper and Chris Russell Jr. In two years, Matthews has recorded 12 tackles and a tackle for loss. 

© Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, after a flu outbreak riddled the roster, Matthews stepped in and played significant reps on defense in a Week 10 loss against Florida at home. He recorded a career-high six tackles in 26 snaps. 

A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said Monday that the team planned on announce this year's 12th Man honoree within the coming days, noting that multiple players had proven their qualifications to don the No. 12.

“That’s a very, very tough choice and we take it very seriously," Fisher said. "As a staff, we talk about it, as a team, with players. It’s, in our opinion, a thought out decision that we take very seriously.”

At Clear Creek High School, Matthews starred as a quarterback, earning all-district and all-Galveston County first-team honors as a senior in 2017. In his final season, he threw for 1,279 yards and 33 touchdowns and rushed for 1,524 yards.

Ready to go at all times.

1️⃣2️⃣ @Sam_Mathews2 pic.twitter.com/NxnQaKH3QP

— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) August 29, 2023

Matthews began his college career at Division II Harding University but elected to transfer closer to home after his redshirt freshman season. He was denied an initial transfer to Texas A&M, and enrolled at Blinn Junior College in Bryan for the upcoming school year. 

Matthews would sit out the 2019 and 2020 seasons before walking on to the program in the spring of 2021. He made the roster and appeared in nine games, primarily seeing action on special teams. 

The No. 23 Aggies open the season on Saturday at Kyle Field against New Mexico at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN.