Maroon Weekly

By Chelsea Reber

Photo c/o Glen Johnson/TAMU Athletics

In Texas, high school football only comes second to…well nothing.  And college football does not differ greatly. So when it came to picking only one of three sports to pursue a collegiate path in, it was not a surprise that Kyle Mangan picked football.

The sophomore sports management major grew up in Brenham, Texas, so Texas A&M has always been close to home.

“Watching Aggie football when I was little helped me decide pretty early what I wanted to do when I got older,” Mangan said. “It’s a special place and a very special thing to be a part of; it’s a dream come true.”

Mangan played a total of three sports at the varsity level in high school, therefore never going through a true off-season of any kind. Even though being a multi-sport athlete helped him with mental toughness, he was not quite at the physical level his coaches wanted him to be at when he came to A&M. So like many players in this position, he was redshirted his freshman year, something that only made him more of an asset to the roster.

“I have gotten bigger, faster, and stronger since I first got here and I owe that to red-shirting. I would say the impact it had on this season and the rest of my career has been huge,” he said.

Mangan has definitely been a huge impact in A&M’s defensive backfield this season. The redshirt freshman has started over half the games this season and leads the team in assisted tackles with 26 and ranks sixth in solo tackles with 21. Even with his success in his first year of playing, Mangan still believes tackling is where his game needs to improve the most.

“It’s much different tackling at the high school level where you are bigger than everyone and at the collegiate level where most of the people you are tackling are your size,” Mangan said.

He also leads the team in broken up passes with a total of seven and has had one interception for 23 yards on the return. His passion for the sport is eminent every time he steps on the field, and he is the type of player everyone loves to see make plays. His successful season so far is only the beginning of a promising future at A&M.

“I think the most important thing for me to do is stay dedicated, work twice as hard to get where I want to be and where this team needs me to be,” Mangan said.

Mangan’s older brother, Wes Mangan, plays football for McNeese State in Louisiana along with their stepbrother, Mase Duge. The three grew up playing sports together along with some of their lifelong best friends. Even with only a year and half under his belt, Mangan relates the family feeling to his teammates now.

“There are a bunch of good guys in our locker room and we have a lot of fun together. I would say I view all those guys as family,” Mangan said.

The Aggies came out strong with three home victories at the beginning of this season. With a tough loss to Oklahoma State in their conference opener, fans started to worry that the season was on a downhill turn. The unexpected, but great win against Texas Tech, turned spirits back up, but a one-point loss to Colorado, brought the 12th Man back down. Many were left wondering what A&M needed to do to come out on top in the last few games of the season.

“Without a doubt the most important thing to do in order to come out on top in those games is finishing,” Mangan said. “Going all the way back to the spring our motto has been, ‘start fast, finish strong’ and in those close ones, we did not finish.”

In the past, A&M has struggled against the main powerhouses of the Big 12 Conference, but they always bring their A-game on Thanksgiving weekend. An entire season can be saved with a win against the Longhorns from Austin. This year is no different. With the 10-year anniversary of the fall of Bonfire, a bowl bid on the line, and a home game on the schedule, A&M has no reason not to be fired up for this year’s Lonestar Showdown.

“We need to have a good, crisp week of practice and stay focused. Next, we have to show up on Thursday night fired up and ready to play passionate football,” Mangan said. “And last but certainly not least, we have to have the 12th Man show up and support us like always, because nobody shows up and pushes us around in our own house.”