A&M's defense will be guided even more by York's leadership in 2024

Every structure needs a foundation.

Every lever needs a fulcrum.

Every Wrecking Crew needs a foreman.

It seems Texas A&M has found all of the above in sophomore linebacker Taurean York, who is taking ownership of the Aggie defense thing spring.

“I feel like it’s my defense,” York said on Wednesday. “I think the guys are very receptive to the way I lead and how I call the plays. I feel like, in the thick of the season and in spring right now, they all look to me for the calls, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Aggies shouldn’t either. Strong defenses have strong players with strong personalities and strong leadership skills.

Typically, those guys are linebackers like Antonio Armstrong, Dat Nguyen, Von Miller and Sean Porter. They all had the aforementioned strength.

York appears to have it, too.

He has the ability required to earn teammates' respect. He has the personality to lead. He is the fulcrum that can help lift A&M’s defense to possibly an even greater showing than in 2023 when it was ranked third in the SEC.

He’s the type of player/representative who can be the foundation on which a new program can be built.

First-year coach Mike Elko seems to agree.

“From what we’ve seen, he’s an extremely intelligent kid,” Elko said. “He sees the game of football really well. He’s got a lot of natural instincts, which — when you play the linebacker position — is critical because sometimes just the ability to be a good football player services you really, really well at linebacker.

“I think he’s made the natural development and growth with his body in the offseason. I think you’re going to see an even better version of him as we head out this fall.”

Better than last season would qualify as amazing.

York stepped into the A&M starting lineup as a true freshman and promptly earned freshman All-American acclaim.

He posted 74 tackles, with 8.5 resulting in lost yardage. That included three sacks. He was also credited with five quarterback pressures and forced a fumble.

No big deal, though. York anticipated producing at that level.

“I definitely had huge expectations for myself,” he said.  “I didn’t know how I was going to reach them, but I definitely had those goals, and I’m just glad I was able to accomplish them.”

Yet, A&M’s previous coaching staff wasn’t sure they wanted York, who was rated a three-star prospect.

He wasn’t offered a scholarship until the last week of his senior season at Temple High School. He’d even committed to Baylor.

He may prove to be on a similar upward trajectory as former A&M three-star recruits like Ainias Smith, Erik McCoy, Micheal Clemons, Buddy Johnson and Mike Evans.

It wasn’t that A&M coaches had not been sold on him. It’s just the coach who was sold on him was no longer at A&M. Elko had moved on from his role as A&M’s defensive coordinator to head coach at Duke.

“Coach Elko was always high on me since probably the 10th grade,” York recalled. “A&M usually attracts four- and five-star players, but coach Elko always told me, ‘I think you’re a great player. I think that you can definitely help us out.’”

Elko’s change of address didn’t change his evaluation.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Taurean York finished second in total tackles for loss for a freshman in 2023.

“We fell in love with him rather quickly,” Elko recalled. “He had committed to Baylor. We (at Duke) stayed in hot pursuit. We felt like we had just got to the point where we had convinced him to come to Duke. I think it was like 24 hours later (A&M) offered him here. He wound up coming here.

“We wound up missing out on him at Duke. But certainly excited to get back around him.”

There are many reasons to be excited.

Second-year starters tend to improve. York quite literally appears on the way to getting better. He looks to have added muscle to his 6-foot, 230-pound frame.

Also, his return softens the loss of All-American linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, who opted to enter the NFL Draft.

York projects as an even more significant figure in the A&M defense in 2024. He’s embracing that role as a player and leader.

“I feel like I set the standard for when it comes to the linebacker room,” he said. “When it comes to the freshmen, they’re definitely following in my footsteps like Jordan Lockhart and Tristan Jernigan.”

His main message is simple: Give all-out effort.

“Effort can overcome a lot of things,” York said. “Whether you mess up, whether you bust a coverage, whether you misfit the run, I feel like if you have great effort you can overcome a lot of things.”