Why Texas A&M's Taurean York Has A Personal Vendetta vs. Texas Longhorns

It is personal for Texas A&M Aggies star linebacker Taurean York vs. the Texas Longhorns

Oct 26, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies linebacker Taurean York (21) celebrates with teammates after the win against the LSU Tigers. The Aggies defeated the Tigers 38-23; at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

There might not be two rosters in America that are more familiar with one another than that of the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies.

Between the two programs, there are 161 players from the state of Texas - the vast majority of whom played against at least one or multiple players on the other side in high school previously.

And as if that didn't make the competition fierce enough, the Longhorns and Aggies will be facing off for the first time in 13 years this Saturday, with each of those players hoping to leave their mark on the rivalry.

That includes Aggies star linebacker Taurean York, who holds a personal vendetta against the Longhorns and cannot wait to see them on the field.

“I wanted the A&M offer," York said Monday. "(Texas) stayed 50 minutes away from me. They came on a helicopter to see my best friend. … They weren’t paying me much attention. I didn’t invest too much in those guys anyways.”

York signed with Texas A&M as a three-star recruit out of Temple (TX), originally committing to Baylor before the Aggies offered late in the process.

Meanwhile, the Longhorns didn't even extend the now-Aggies captain an offer, instead choosing to sign five other linebackers: five-star Anthony Hill, four-stars Derion Gullette, Leona Leafua, and Tasuli Akana, and three-star S'Maje Burrell.

And as York said over the summer, he took that personally.

“It’s personal, that’s all I have to say, it’s personal,” York said at SEC Media Days. "I don’t talk to anybody from Texas because it’s that personal to me. They didn’t recruit me and there are a lot of comparisons going on about me and Texas players. So I kinda put those rest in a sense.”

To be fair, the Longhorns hardly made a bad choice in the players they signed. Hill is arguably the best linebacker in the SEC, while Lefau is a key contributor and rising star on the defense. Not to mention, the Longhorns have high hopes for Akana and Gullette in the future.

In fact, only Burrell proved to be a bad investment by the Horns, after he was involved in an offseason drunk driving incident with former Longhorn T'Vondre Sweat, and was dismissed from the team.

Either way, York will now finally get his chance to face Texas on the field and prove why he believes they did make a mistake by not recruiting him during the 2023 cycle.

Kick off is set for 6:30 pm CT on ABC, with York hoping the Longhorns continue their trend of receiving the opening kick.

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