The face of A&M? Wright and his mustache
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M senior tight end Max Wright sported a sweet mustache even before “Top Gun: Maverick” helped bring ’em back this past summer.
“Whenever Top Gun came out and the ’stache was (on) ‘Rooster,’ I thought, ‘I’ve got to keep this going,’ ” Wright said with a chuckle. “So it just kind of keeps rolling.”
So does the perpetually upbeat Wright, who’s been around A&M so long he first pledged to play for then-coach Kevin Sumlin in the spring of 2017 — as a defensive end out of Katy Taylor.
Things have changed around Kyle Field in the time since, of course, with Sumlin exiting nearly five years ago and Jimbo Fisher taking over from Florida State. Two years into his college career in spring 2020, Wright readily shifted from defensive end to tight end to help add depth to a position Fisher uses much more than Sumlin ever did.
A&M (3-3, 1-2 SEC), which plays at South Carolina (4-2, 1-2) on Saturday night, has had its most disappointing season to date under Fisher halfway through the regular season, and Fisher considers Wright one of those good guys to have around for a coach fighting his way through waves of pessimism from fans and from within his own program.
Wright, who also occasionally sports hornrimmed glasses coupled with the mustache for a stellar look right out of the 1960s or ’70s, even urges his team to “keep on truckin’ ” in leaning on the old school slogan to help push the Aggies forward in rugged times.
“Max is phenomenal,” said Fisher, who kept Wright as part of the 2018 recruiting class he mostly inherited from Sumlin. “A great leader, a great caring guy who understands the big picture of things … and guys respect him a lot because of how hard he works, the things he goes through and the way he goes about his business.
“He’s just an outstanding human being and player for us.”
Wright’s receiving numbers don’t jump off the page by any stretch or catch, but the former defender once in search of a sack has had his moments in the passing game. A big one occurred two years ago during A&M’s last contest at South Carolina: a 42-yard touchdown reception from Haynes King to cap a 48-3 Aggies victory.
Despite losing their past two games at Mississippi State and at Alabama, the Aggies are slight favorites over the Gamecocks in what’s certain to be a rowdy Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night. Part of that edge stems from A&M winning all seven games with the programs as “cross-division rivals” in the SEC dating to 2014.
That’s the part where Wright urges his teammates to “not take anything for granted” — even a game against South Carolina.
“Playing any away game in the SEC is really tough,” Wright said. “Every single atmosphere is super unique and super difficult to play in. Yeah, we’ve beat them in the past but this year is a new year. They have a lot of talent on their team and a lot of guys who’ve (transferred) in.
“As much as we’ve beat them in the past couple of years, this is an entirely new season. We’ve got to put things together and be prepared and go in there with our best stuff.”
On a team with precious little upperclassmen leadership, Wright has willingly stepped in and become a team spokesman week in and week out – especially during the rough weeks.
“We try to keep things in perspective,” Wright said of the Aggies’ approach midway through the regular season and after only winning half their games to date. “What we talk about is … if we can put things together and play like we did (at Alabama) and perform, there’s no reason why we can’t win out.”
The Aggies haven’t played since their 24-20 loss at Alabama on Oct. 8, which came down to a final A&M play from two yards out of the Crimson Tide end zone, an incomplete pass from King toward the right pylon meant for receiver Evan Stewart. The Aggies were 24-point underdogs in the contest but nearly pulled off their second straight upset of Alabama.
“You want to look at the big picture and look at all these games coming up, but you have to take it day-by-day,” Wright said. “If you start looking too far in the future … you’ll let a game slip that you shouldn’t let slip.
“We’ve got to focus on the task at hand – and that’s South Carolina.”
Besides, as Wright playfully pointed out, the annual showdown is for the mysterious James Bonham Trophy — and that’s worth fighting for (even if the players haven’t ever actually held it).
“Going into the game against the (Gamecocks), for some reason our guys get a little fired up, I guess,” Wright said with a grin. “The Bonham Trophy is always fun to win.”