Following Texas A&M interim head coach Elijah Robinson, incoming sophomore linebacker Taurean York, senior tight end Max Wright, and sophomore quarterback Jaylen Henderson provided the player commentary on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the Aggies TaxAct Texas Bowl matchup vs. Oklahoma State on Dec. 27.
While we’ve heard from both Max Wright and Jaylen Henderson throughout the latter half of the 2023 regular season, this was Taurean York’s first official press conference, and for a young man who is still a teenager, the maturity displayed while taking a multitude of questions was nothing short of impressive.
Ranging from his development into one of the nation’s best linebackers during fall camp to his love for the game through his father, York’s relationship with new head coach Mike Elko started all the way back to Elko’s time as the Aggies defensive coordinator (2018-2021), and continue during his two years as Duke’s head coach.
“I love Coach Elko. He recruited me hard at A&M and recruited me hard at Duke.”
While Elko has yet to hire a new defensive coordinator, whoever is lucky enough to work with York in 2024 and beyond will inherit one of the smartest players in the country, made abundantly clear when York was asked about the fundamentals of tackling:
“Tackling is an art. You have to work on it. You have to have your technique.”
However, it was Jaylen Henderson who will make his fourth consecutive start this season with the quote of the afternoon, simply stating that despite the movement in the transfer portal, the Aggies are focused on winning the game in front of them and taking much-needed momentum into the 2024 offseason:
“Our goal is to end on a win. That’s our mindset, no matter who is playing or who is not playing.”
With that, here is everything Taurean York, Jaylen Henderson, and Max Wright had to say ahead of the TaxAct Texas Bowl next Wednesday night.
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