Redshirt senior safety De’Rickey Wright chose Texas A&M in the NCAA Transfer Portal on Dec. 22 after four years at Vanderbilt.
Wright recently spoke to Aggies beat writer Carter Karels of 247Sports to explain his decision to select College Station as his next home.
“(A&M) actually showed me that they care about me as a person and a player,” Wright told GigEm247. “I loved their pitch. I feel like we shared a lot of interests and we both want to win at a high level. I love playing in the SEC. You get to play against great competition week in and week out.”
Head coach Mike Elko‘s recent decision to retain Bryant Gross-Armiento as a senior defensive analyst might’ve been the reason that Wesley McGriff opted to stay at Auburn. However, per Karels, that move also helped Wright make his choice.
“They love the way I am rangy, how I can make a lot of plays and get the ball. They said they want me as a safety and they love my range and length,” Wright explained. “In the spring, I am not going to be around the team or around the strength staff, so I know that I am going to have to put in even more work, so when I come in, I can hit the ground running. I am extremely excited because I have this amazing opportunity to play at Texas A&M and all the traditions they have down there.
“But I know I have to put my all into it, which I have been doing these past couple of years at Vandy.”
Despite the departure of senior safety Jardin Gilbert for LSU in the portal opening a spot in the starting 11, Wright is ready to earn his opportunity.
“I am not somebody who is going to shy away from competition,” Wright said. “I feel like I have had competition all my life. So it is not something that is new to me. I actually like competition. It makes you better. It makes the people around you better. So I am somebody who welcomes competition.
“I know they said there is a high chance of me coming in and starting. But for somebody to start, you’ve got to work for it. One of my core values is hard work. I know that I am going to have to put in the work.”
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