Tag: 2023 TexAct Texas Bowl

‘Tackling is an art’ Taurean York, Jaylen Henderson, and Max Wright speak ahead of the TaxAct Texas Bowl

Hear what LB Taurean York, QB Jaylen Henderson, and TE Max Wright had to say ahead of the TaxAct Texas Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 27.

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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‘We’re trying to get the best 22 on the field ‘ Aggies interim HC Elijah Robinson previews the TaxAct Texas Bowl

Hear what Texas A&M interim head coach Elijah Robinson had to say ahead of the Aggies TaxAct Texas Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 27.

Texas A&M interim head coach Elijah Robinson, who, despite being hired as Syracuses’ new defensive coordinator for the 2024 season and beyond, still holds rank in the Aggie locker room and will continue his duties until the final whistle blows during A&M’s upcoming TaxAct Texas Bowl vs. Oklahoma State.

While we at Aggies Wire have not shied away from covering the issues regarding Robinson’s recruiting tactics on behalf of Syracuse while still employed with Texas A&M, the veteran assistant at least provided more context on Tuesday afternoon during the final press conference before next week’s matchup.

Speaking with the local media, Robinson, outside of discussing how the team will prepare for the game, continued to profess his admiration for A&M and the importance of developing lasting relationships that will aid in future development.

“People talk to people. People trust people.”

“When relationships are made, people can explain to (players) what a place can do for them… This is a great place to be. It has great coaches. Now it’s all about the fit and relationships.”

Even more telling, despite his new allegiance with the Orange, Robinson stated that if any current A&M player comes to him personally to discuss if they should transfer from the program, he would advise them to stay, especially on defense due to new head coach Mike Elko’s elite defensive mindset.

“If I’m a defensive player here, I’d look at Coach (Mike) Elko and know that Coach Elko is going to put a great defense on the field here.”

At the core of it all, Elijah Robinson is a fantastic human being with a very bright coaching future ahead of him, and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward. Here is everything he had to say during Tuesday’s press conference.

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Everything Texas A&M interim HC Elijah Robinson had to say during Tuesday’s press conference

During Tuesday’s Teleconference, Texas A&M interim HC Elijah Robinson will continue his role during the Texas Bowl on Dec. 27. Here is everything he had to say.

On Tuesday, current interim head coach Elijah Robinson, who still holds the role during new Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko’s transition to the program, recently accepted an offer from newly minted Syracuse HC Fran Brown to become the program’s defensive coordinator in 2024, after turning down a massive contract to stay with the Aggies in an assist role.

While no one blames Robinson for making the best decision regarding his coaching career, he will be greatly missed in Aggieland. He remains one of the most professional individuals we have encountered during his five-year run.

On Tuesday, Robinson spoke to media in what could be his final press conference of the season ahead of Texas A&M’s TexAct Texas Bowl matchup with No. 20-ranked Oklahoma State on Wednesday, Dec. 27, immediately revealing that he will, in fact, stay on staff to coach the bowl game before departing to New York.

Despite what many of us doubted less than a week prior, Robinson has steadfastly supported Texas A&M and will continue to do so throughout his coaching career. Here is everything he had to say on Tuesday afternoon.

Texas A&M’s 2023 bowl game destination has been announced

It has been announced that Texas A&M will face the No. 20-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys in the TaxAct Texas Bowl on Dec. 27.

Texas A&M’s 2023 bowl game has officially been announced, as the 7-5 Aggies will stay in Texas to take on the 20th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys in the TexAct Texas Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 27, where the game will be held in NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, and air on ESPN.

First reported by Action Network’s Brett McMurphy on Sunday, many of us in the media, including a bulk of the Aggie fan base, felt like this would be the most realistic destination. At the same time, this will be the 29th matchup with the Cowboys, owning an 18-10 record in the all-time series.

On Saturday, it was announced that senior wide receiver Ainias Smith may have played his final game in an Aggie uniform after reportedly breaking his finger in the loss to LSU last weekend, as one of the greatest receivers in Texas A&M history still has a year of eligibility remaining if we returned in 2024.

After quarterback Max Johnson announced that he would transfer to North Carolina, sophomore signal caller Jaylen Henderson will start his fourth game of the year in the Texas Bowl, looking to rebound after failing to out-deal LSU quarterback and probable Heisman winner Jayden Daniels.

Oklahoma State and long-time head coach Mike Gundy finished 9-4 after falling to Texas in the Big 12 Championship game. After sustaining embarrassing losses to South Alabama and UCF, Gundy aided the Cowboys in finding their offensive identity in the run game behind stand-out running back Ollie Gordon II (1,614 rushing yards, 20 TDs), winning seven out of their last eight games.

This will be the first game between both programs since meeting in the 2019 Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl in 2019, where the Aggies, behind then-starting quarterback Kellen Mond, helped defeat the Cowboys 24-21.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.