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New York Times
08-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Texas A&M still stuck in Texas' shadow after rivalry's SEC reunion. Can it escape?
Editor's note: All week, The Athletic is writing about college football rivalries at a moment of change in the sport. Read our ranking of the top 100 rivalries here and also vote for your favorites. COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Across the street from the largest football stadium in the SEC on a warm spring day, students study, a couple of dudes with guitars jam and swans float on a pond. The scene is straight from a college brochure. Advertisement On fall Saturdays here, the 20-acre green space comes alive with tailgaters, but for most of the year, it's an idyllic gathering spot at the heart of the Lone Star State's largest university by enrollment. Staring up at the soaring stands of Kyle Field, capacity 102,733, it is hard not to think: Texas A&M really does have everything. Yet, still, when it comes to football — and athletics in general — the Aggies find themselves chasing Texas, their once-again conference rivals who walked into the SEC last season and headed straight for a seat at the head of the table. The message from Texas A&M's relatively new leadership team is that while a rivalry can be a great motivator, any energy spent worrying about what's going on 87 miles southwest in Austin is wasted. 'I don't think it's problematic. I think it's real,' Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts said. 'Anytime you have an in-state rival, fans are going to compare, and that's part of what competition is rooted in: comparison. But from my perspective — and I've been a part of some pretty big (rivalries), Nebraska-Oklahoma, then Nebraska-Colorado — I'll tell you the best chance you have of being successful in those is to spend all your time focusing on yourself.' Just one season into its renewal, the state of the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry — which dates to 1884, has been played 119 times and is No. 15 in Scott Dochterman's top 100 rivalries — is as spicy as ever. Maybe even more so. 'The rivalry has always been intense in my eyes, but I think the fire does burn a bit deeper now with Texas in the SEC and the absence of those two teams playing for so long and then the success that Texas had off the bat,' said David Nuno, an A&M alum and host of TexAgs Radio. It was a tough year all around for the Aggies in the rivalry. Advertisement In men's basketball, the Longhorns won two of three meetings, including the rubber match in the SEC tournament. In baseball, Texas lured coach Jim Schlossnagle away from A&M immediately after he took the Aggies to the College World Series final, then swept the Aggies this season, a low point for a team that had been preseason No. 1 and failed to make the NCAA tournament. Only A&M softball struck back for the Aggies by eliminating Texas from the SEC tournament. In the one that matters most? The Longhorns beat the Aggies 17-7 at Kyle Field in their first football meeting since 2011 on the way to appearances in the SEC championship and College Football Playoff. Texas' first season playing SEC football could not have gone much better (13-3 and No. 4 in the final AP poll). Meanwhile, even with more than a decade's head start in the conference, Texas A&M is still looking for its first trip to Atlanta for the title game. Mike Elko's debut season as the Aggies' head coach had a lot to like after the disheartening and costly Jimbo Fisher experiment in College Station. But Texas A&M stumbled to 8-5 after a 7-1 start, failing to reach double-digit wins for the 12th consecutive season since Johnny Manziel and the Aggies took the SEC by storm in 2012. 'I think when you look at last year, the big picture of it, you have to see success,' Elko said. 'I think we were competing on a stage that Texas A&M had not been on, really, since they joined the league; being in the race to be in the Playoff, being in the race to be in Atlanta all the way down to the end of the season. And so to me, when I look at it, I think we absolutely steadied the ship. I think we absolutely took a forward step.' R.C. Slocum was part of 30 A&M-UT games as either an assistant or head coach of the Aggies, and he takes pride in having been on the winning side 16 times. Texas leads the all-time series 77-37-5, though Slocum notes: 'They like to count the times when our guys were all fighting the war, in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam.' Advertisement Slocum, who grew up in Orange, Texas, on the Louisiana border, coached the Aggies to a school-record 123 victories over 14 years. His .721 winning percentage is best of any Texas A&M coach in the modern era, and his 1998 Big 12 championship team is the last Aggies squad to win a title. Leaving the Big 12 — and Texas and its Longhorn Network — and joining the SEC in 2011 was an enormous point of pride for Texas A&M. While many Aggies seethed when Texas was invited to the SEC in 2021, Slocum was all for it. 'Texas was gonna go somewhere. So would you rather them being in the Big Ten, down here in Texas recruiting all the time and telling kids that, 'Hey, you come here, we're gonna go to the West Coast? We're gonna go to the East Coast.' Let's have them here in this state. We're the two big dogs in this state, and we compete for these kids, and we play in the same league,' Slocum said. During Texas and Texas A&M's estrangement, the Longhorns floundered. Texas ushered out Mack Brown in 2014, eight seasons after winning the school's last national title, only to continue sputtering through three seasons of Charlie Strong and four under Tom Herman. The rivalry lived on through schadenfreude, with each side basking in the other's failures. It was a long-distance relationship based on the premise that misery loves company. 'It's really interesting with Texas,' Brown said. 'Texas Tech was a rival. Baylor was a rival. TCU was a rival. Everybody hated Texas, right? In fact, we had a little saying that everybody hates Texas more than they like themselves.' While the A&M rivalry runs deep, the Oklahoma game typically defines a Texas season. Under Brown, the annual Red River game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, with half the stadium clad in OU crimson and the other in UT burnt orange, often had national title implications. Advertisement To many Texas fans, OU is a peer. A&M is a younger sibling. 'I think there's a level of arrogance with Texas fans that comes at A&M,' Nuno said. The Longhorns are most definitely feeling themselves these days, and why not? Under coach Steve Sarkisian, hired by AD Chris Del Conte in 2022, Texas is 25-5 over the past two seasons with two CFP semifinal appearances. This season, with Arch Manning set to take over at quarterback, the Longhorns could start as the No. 1 team in the country. In College Station, there is also reason for optimism, though with more modest expectations. Elko's second team features one of the best offensive lines in the country, an intriguing dual-threat quarterback in Marcel Reed and a potential All-America linebacker in Taurean York. Still, it doesn't quite look like a roster ready to take a huge leap in the SEC. To that end, Texas A&M boasts the No. 3 recruiting class for 2026 in the 247Sports Composite, with 21 of 24 commitments rated either a five- or four-star prospect. Of course, Texas' success affects Texas A&M. The opposite would be true, too. That's the way rivalries work. Especially in-state rivalries. 'You're in the same recruiting footprint, stepping all over each other,' Elko said. 'You certainly would love to be the team that's doing amazing and the other team doing poor. But I don't know that it's an impactful feeling. I don't sit around rooting for them to do poorly.' Elko is Texas A&M's fifth head coach since Slocum was pushed out after the 2002 season. Alberts is the fourth AD since the move to the SEC. Turnover at the top, including at the top of the university itself, is generally not a formula for success in college athletics. 'I think alignment matters,' said Elko, the former defensive coordinator under Fisher who went 16-9 in two seasons at Duke before being brought back to A&M to replace his former boss by then-AD Ross Bjork. 'Your alignment, from your president to your head coach to your AD, all of that really, really matters. There's been a lot of transition in all of those positions since we've joined the SEC.' Advertisement The Aggies are hoping that in Elko and Alberts, the former Nebraska All-American linebacker and athletic director, they have found their version of Sarkisian and Del Conte, even if they'd prefer to forget the comparisons. 'There's this great picture of Michael Phelps swimming in the Olympics, and his chief rival is swimming next to him,' Alberts said. 'Phelps is looking straight ahead. His rival's looking at him. And it says, winners focus on winners. Losers focus on winners. So my point is, I have great relationships, I have respect, but I'm really not all that concerned with what's happening in Austin. 'We need to be the best version of Texas A&M, and we need to spend all of our energy and all of our focus on making sure that Texas A&M is as good as we can possibly be.' (Illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; photos: Todd Kirkland, Michael Chang, Alex Slitz / Getty Images)
USA Today
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Texas A&M Announces LED lighting upgrade at Kyle Field ahead of football season
After years of discussion about adding new lights to Kyle Field, fans finally have an answer. On Thursday, Texas A&M Athletic Director Trev Alberts confirmed on the Studio 12 radio show that LED lights will be installed at Kyle Field, along with several other enhancements. With the evolving landscape of college athletics, Alberts emphasized the importance of making the game-day experience more innovative and exciting while preserving the rich traditions that make Aggieland unique. He recognizes the need for upgrades but wants to avoid turning the experience into a spectacle that distracts from the sport itself. 'Then, when you get all that kind of stuff done, you can have some fun with drone shows and you can do lots of different things and fireworks,' he said. 'I don't want to interrupt the football, because people come for football, but I think there are some other things we can integrate – whether it's after the game or between the third and fourth quarter – we can do different things. We're going to continue investing in the technology that brings the fan and game day experience to a level that stays at the leading front in college athletics.' Alberts confirmed that the LED lights will be introduced this year, in a way that aligns with the school's values: 'We're never going to move away from the traditions that make A&M, but how do we integrate new stuff, new experiences in a way that doesn't conflict with that, you know? So, you'll see LED lights this year.' While not everyone may be a fan of the move, it's great to see the University making efforts to turn the game day experience into a major event that can rival those of several other stadiums in the country. For full comments from the entire podcast, you can check it out here. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.
USA Today
27-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where did Texas A&M finish in this year's Learfield Directors' Cup final standings?
As the final points were tallied up, Texas A&M athletics finished as one of the most highly-rated schools in the country in the 2024-2025 Learfield Directors' Cup standings. The Aggies finished the most recent athletics year in the top 25 for the 19th consecutive year, as Texas A&M earned a No. 15 finish. That mark places the programs in College Station as the No. 7 team in the Southeastern Conference and the sixth time in the last decade that the Aggies finished in the top 15 of the Learfield Directors' Cup. The competition originated in 1993 and was created to rank programs based on the athletic department's overall success competing during the athletic calendar year in national competition. Texas A&M's highest ranking in program history was in 2012-2013, in which the program ranked as No. 5 in the country and recorded 1131.50 points for its performances against other programs across the country. During the 2024-2025 athletics year, the Aggies secured an NCAA Championship in men's outdoor track and field, while also finishing top 20 in men's golf, men's swimming and diving, men's basketball and softball. Texas A&M's equestrian team also advanced to the semifinals of the NCEA Championship. Here are the full standings and results from this year's Learfield Directors' Cup: Following the announcement of Texas A&M's finish in this year's cup, athletic director Trev Alberts expressed his thoughts on where the Aggies' accomplishments and where its programs are headed in the future. "I firmly believe that the future is incredibly bright for Texas A&M as collegiate athletics continues to evolve," Alberts said. "We are dedicated to a culture that is focused on giving our programs all of the resources they need to compete for championships, and I am grateful that here at Texas A&M we are well-positioned moving forward to achieve that goal." The Learfield Directors' Cup was developed by USA TODAY and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). As a new calendar year is due up, starting with soccer and then football, the Aggies will look to secure its 20th season with a top 25 finish in the cup. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
USA Today
24-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Texas A&M AD Trev Alberts breaks down NIL revenue Sharing after House Settlement
The House settlement judgment brought some clarity to NIL and revenue sharing, while simultaneously opening a brand-new can of worms that has led to several lawsuits in its wake. Still, it's a positive step toward establishing a more level playing field across the board. Texas A&M Athletic Director Trev Alberts took time to discuss the school's plans for navigating this new landscape in college sports. He sees opportunities to capitalize on revenue options to keep Texas A&M competitive within the Power Five conferences. One of the biggest questions: How did they decide which sports would be included in revenue sharing? "Part of that decision-making was in concert with our increase in scholarship, so we didn't look at the investments into individual sports, just from rev share. Some of the sports who didn't get rev share are obviously getting massive increases in scholarship investment...." "....we just try to look at what sports are we driving revenue in. We need to maintain the current revenue, and how do we accelerate and advance it? So difficult decisions and those can be adjusted and altered in the future, but that's how we chose to start can" Alberts also touched on how the university plans to modernize without losing the traditions that make Texas A&M one of the most unique programs in college sports. ".....I'm going to push hard on the modernization, I'm going to push hard on thinking differently, because I think if we don't, we won't have the business success that we need to ultimately fund the support of our programs to win." Even with the House settlement establishing a few guardrails, there's a long way to go. Alberts hopes federal lawmakers will step in to create clear, enforceable rules that everyone can follow—so schools can focus less on litigation and more on supporting student-athletes. "...we all got into this to help young people, and we've spent all of our time playing defense to lawsuits, and that needs to end. It's not in the best interest. College athletics is worth saving. It's really important to the fabric of America, we're better than this, and it's time for leaders to lead." College athletics is slowly emerging from the chaos of the NIL era with early signs of a more unified regulatory structure. But the road ahead is still long. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.
Reuters
31-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Michael Earley to be retained as Aggies' head baseball coach
May 31 - Texas A&M Director of Athletics Trev Alberts announced today that first-year head baseball coach Michael Earley would return to College Station for the 2025-26 academic year. "Earlier today, I met with Coach Earley to discuss the state of our baseball program. I appreciate Mike's work in taking a holistic view of what changes need to be made so that we have a baseball program that meets our high standards," Alberts said. "Baseball success is critically important to Texas A&M. I am confident in Mike's ability to execute the needed change and fully support his vision going forward." Earley took over for Jim Schlossnagle, who guided the Aggies to a pair of College World Series appearances in his three seasons at the helm. In 2024, Texas A&M made it to the championship finals, but fell in three games (2-1) to national champion Tennessee. Schlossnagle took the University of Texas head coaching position one day after the decisive third game and Earley, the program's hitting coach, was elevated to the top spot in the dugout. Texas A&M was the consensus No. 1 pick in the preseason, but struggled to a 30-26 record, which included a 11-19 mark and 14th place finish in the SEC. The Aggies failed to earn an NCAA Tournament bid for just the second time since 2007. The nucleus of the team is expected to return, but Alberts did not address the statuses of hitting coach Caleb Longley and pitching coach Jason Kelly. --Field Level Media
