Student of the Game

For freshman linebacker Taurean York, there are few moments throughout a week that football isn’t on his mind. Every chance he gets he is studying the game. Cut-ups of a few plays or game highlights won’t do the trick for this self-proclaimed football junkie. He needs every detail of the game, the whole picture, to feel fully prepared for his next assignment. He doesn’t just want to see the play, he wants to know why, and focuses in on the details and tendencies of every opponent.

His attention to detail is rooted in the responsibility that comes with playing mike linebacker. It’s a position that rarely sees a true freshman or newcomer as a starter, requiring the player to not only know his own playbook, but be able to read and react to everything the opposition puts forward. 

At Texas A&M, the 2023 season was the second in York’s football career that he was the new man on campus and earned the starting job as the quarterback of the defense. His ‘if not me then who’ mindset and commitment to being fully prepared have empowered him to take advantage of these openings on defense. 

York grew up in football-obsessed Temple, Texas, and he remembers always doing something that had to do with football as he and his brother were coached by their father until high school. Like most, York played on both sides of the ball growing up, as a running back and linebacker. Admittedly favoring running back and hesitant to commit to defense, there was an opening at linebacker as he embarked on his high school career, which his dad advised him to take advantage of. 

He made varsity as a freshman and, as he describes it, locked in immediately. Separated from most of his friends in his grade and surrounded by upperclassmen, York wasn’t bothered by being a bit out of place, but instead saw the different schedules as an opportunity to hone in on the job in front of him.

“I would just say I had to be really locked in, I couldn’t do a lot of stuff,” York remembered. “All of my freshman friends that I came up with, I wasn’t able to see them that much. I would see them Thursday nights when they would play their freshman game and of course Friday night I played my varsity game. That kind of created more of an opportunity for me to be focused on the field and off the field because I wasn’t really around my friends.”

York acknowledges that it was all for something in the end and his dedication to his own success paid off. He was a four-year starter for the Wildcats and three-time UIL District 12-6A Defensive MVP. He racked up 435 tackles, including 47 for loss and 15 sacks in high school. 

At 6-0, 220-pounds out of high school, York was only rated as a 3-star prospect by the major outlets. With a small handful of offers, he was committed to Baylor as his high school days dwindled in December of 2022, but a late offer from the Aggies shook things up. He decommitted from the Bears and was signed with the Texas A&M just two days later and on his way to Aggieland a few short weeks after that. 

Back in a familiar situation when he arrived on campus, the then-17-year-old was able to call back on his experiences as a freshman in high school both on and off the field. He was all too familiar with having to learn most things on the sideline or the middle of action, but had developed a strong habit of not making the same mistake twice. 

Comfortable in the learning process, he carries the same confidence in asking a question or clarifying his mistake as he does in eliminating the error. His off-the-field routine didn’t skip a beat from his high school days as he immediately dedicated himself to a deep dive into the playbook and film. He would text his new coaches if he needed more film or clarity on situations and wasn’t afraid to speak up in the meeting room. The payout came yet again as York continued to rise to the occasion and impress through fall camp.

“When I got up here, I didn’t know how college worked,” York said. “I didn’t know how college football worked, I didn’t know about the travel squad, none of that. I just came up here being myself and it felt weird at first whenever I was a two, because they were talking about ones and starters and I’m not out there. It felt weird to watch the ones go out from the sideline, so I was like, I have to get out there somehow. I just kept working, kept going every day, and just brick-by-brick it all came to fruition.”

The coaching staff rewarded York’s tireless work with the starting assignment in the Aggies’ season-opener. With the confidence gained from that start, he continued to earn their trust and eventually started every game of his debut campaign, the first accomplishment on his short list of goals for the year. Not taking a moment for granted he continued to learn the college game and a new defense throughout the season. He remained unphased by the level of leadership needed from the linebackers.

“I just don’t want to be wrong,” York said. “I watch every game. I watch the cut-ups they send us, because I don’t want to be wrong on the football field. You work 300-320 days throughout the year to play at a minimum 12 games. That’s not a good ratio, so you have to make every one of those days and every one of those games count. That’s why I pay so much attention to detail. We only have such a small amount of opportunities to do the work and show the world, so why not go all-in with it.”

He concluded his first collegiate season second on the team with 74 tackles, including 39 solo takedowns and 8.5 for loss, all three ranking in the top-25 in the SEC. He was the only freshman linebacker to rank among the top 50 any of the categories. York’s tackles total ranked second among Power 5 true freshman linebackers, as well as fifth among true freshmen on defense. His impressive leadership and numbers earned him multiple Freshman All-America accolades and a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team. 

At the end of the day, it comes down to a very simple thought process and respect for those around him. 

“If not me, then who? I’m the linebacker, it’s all on me at the end of the day. I have to get everybody lined up, I couldn’t even bear the weight of telling them the wrong thing or not being assertive in my answers.”

It seems there is nothing the game of football can put in front of him that he won’t attack head on. With a successful freshman campaign behind him, he continues to set new bars for himself and make anyone who doubts him eat their words. Thriving outside his comfort zone, York is always putting in all the work necessary to not only secure, but make sure he keeps every opportunity he sets his sights on.