'It's Personal!' Taurean York Previews Renewed Texas A&M Rivalry vs. Longhorns

The Texas A&M Aggies have plenty of tests, both at home and on the road, to get through before facing the Texas Longhorns, but there is no denying the underlying anticipation surrounding that final matchup at Kyle Field.

Jul 18, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Texas A&M linebacker Taurean York speaks to the media at Omni Dallas Hotel. / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

When it comes to the school down in Austin for the Texas A&M Aggies, the rules are pretty simple:

Horns down, Maroon over Burnt Orange and no "enemy" fraternization.

For the fans, those things are fairly obvious — even the Aggie War Hymn features an anti-Texas Longhorn agenda — but, as made clear during SEC Media Days in Dallas last week, some of that bleeds into the players' mindsets, too.

“I don’t talk to anybody from Texas," Texas A&M linebacker Taurean York said, asserting his stance on the rivalry. "It’s that personal to me.”

Texas A&M LB Taurean York says he doesn’t talk to anyone from #Texas.

“It’s personal.” pic.twitter.com/NvN3AbpovY

— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) July 18, 2024

Next season, both squads will face each other for the first time in 13 seasons. The last time they met, Texas walked away with a two-point victory, 27-25, after a seven-play drive that took just under two minutes resulted in a game-winning field goal.

After that, the Aggies hit the road to the SEC while Texas stayed put, relishing the fact that they had gotten the last laugh. Now, Texas A&M is looking to get that back on its home turf.

And it certainly hopes Kyle Field will come in clutch when kickoff arrives.

"I truly do feel like it's the hardest place to play in college football," York said. "The 12th Man is real. The atmosphere is there. We're excited for that game. I know Kyle Field is going to be rocking when that day comes."

Jul 18, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Texas A&M linebacker Taurean York speaks to the media at Omni Dallas Hotel. / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

Before they face the Longhorns in the final matchup of their regular season, the Aggies will have to withstand numerous other tests both at home and on the road. Opening their slate against Notre Dame won't be a cakewalk, but neither will playing Florida in Florida, or hosting the red-hot Missouri Tigers at home.

Even their annual Southwest Classic against the Arkansas Razorbacks hasn't proven to come easy in past seasons, but while they'll be putting their attention toward those matchups as they appear on the schedule, there's no denying the underlying anticipation surrounding that final game at Kyle Field.

New head coach Mike Elko, of all people, knows that.

He's coached in College Station before.

"In my four years at Texas A&M, even though we never played ... it still was the single most important thing to Texas A&M. Obviously that's something that we take seriously. That's a rivalry that means an awful lot to our fan base, to the program, the history of the rivalry, and the tradition."

"I think it's great for the state — great for college football — that that rivalry is coming back," he added. "When you have two brands like that that are that close to each other, they should play. They should play meaningful games. ... I'm sure it will be an unbelievable atmosphere."

However it goes, the Aggies and Longhorns are set to put on a show. Every game that happens between the two programs in the years to follow now that Texas has joined the SEC is set to be a spectacle. That was expected.

But for now, the focus is solely on the first one. At Kyle Field.

That's the game that no Aggie can wait for.

"The 12th Man, they're the best fans out there," Trey Zuhn III said. "They always come, rain or shine. Walking on to that field, it never gets old. ... I just can't wait to get back."