Graduate student linebacker Sam Mathews selected as next 12th Man

Yes, he does play linebacker.

As speculated by Billy Liucci during Sunday’s Loochador Podcast, graduate student Sam Mathews has been named Texas A&M’s newest 12th Man.

A linebacker from League City, Mathews enrolled at Texas A&M for the 2020-21 school year and subsequently walked onto the football team after stints at Harding University and Blinn Junior College.

On Monday afternoon, head coach Jimbo Fisher said he takes the duty of naming a 12th Man very seriously.

"It's a very tough choice,” Fisher said. “We have quite a few guys that are up there. We have more guys this year than ever before that we have to choose between.

"It's a very, very tough choice.”

Now that the tough choice has been made public, Mathews will trade in #29 for one synonymous with Fightin’ Texas Aggie football.

As a junior in 2021, Mathews played in nine games and earned the Special Teams Most Improved Award at the team’s annual year-end banquet. He made his only tackle that season against New Mexico. Coincidentally, he’ll don the iconic No. 12 jersey for the first time against those Lobos on Saturday.

Last season, Mathews appeared in all 12 games, making 10 total tackles — six of which came as a linebacker against Florida. He was then named A&M’s Special Teams MVP following the season.

Mathews becomes the fourth 12th Man of the Fisher era, joining Cullen Gillaspia, Braden White and most recently Connor Choate.