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Texas A&M Football: Season Rewind - Cullen Gillaspia

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:03 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Shelbie Warr/FanSided via Gig Em Gazette

One player is chosen to wear number 12 and represent the 12th Man for the Texas A&M football team. This season, that man was Cullen Gillaspia, affectionately known as “Gilly”. He quickly became a fan favorite, making big time plays and going viral on social media.

Cullen’s Journey

Cullen Gillaspia joined the Aggie Football program in 2014 as a walk on. He was red-shirted that year. In 2015, Cullen saw limited action appearing against Ole Miss, Arizona State, and LSU. He registered his first career tackle against the Tigers to finish the 2015 season.

2016 was a completely different story for the walk-on, redshirt sophomore from Katy, Texas. At the conclusion of fall camp, Cullen Gillaspia was informed that he had been put on official scholarship by the team. On September 2nd, he was named the official “12th Man” for the season ahead. Cullen played all 12 games this season, finishing with 9 total tackles (6 solo, 3 assists) a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Some Memorable Moments

Cullen shined bright on special teams and across Twitter timelines this season, but two big moments stand out from the rest in his season as big number 12.

Saturday October 1. Texas A&M @ South Carolina.

With just over 4 minutes to play the Aggies are up 21-13. After a less than stellar drive, the Aggies were forced to punt to a hungry South Carolina team looking for an upset of the Aggies.

Tripucka got the punt off and it was muffed by South Carolina’s Jamarcus King. Who was there to save the day and grab the ball? Cullen Gillaspia, and man was he excited about it. That big play by No. 12 just about sealed the victory for the Aggies on the road.

Saturday October 8th. Texas A&M vs Tennessee.

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Fast forward a week, Tennessee is headed to Aggieland as the Aggies look to finally get over the 5-0 hump. In a game full of turnovers, this one was a memorable one.

Right before the two minute mark of the first quarter, the Aggies scored a second touchdown to take the lead over the Vols to 14-7. Braden Mann kicked off, putting the Aggies fate back into the hands of their surging defense. However, Cullen Gillaspia had other ideas. The linebacker absolutely drilled Evan Berry as he tried to return the kickoff, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Texas A&M.

Cullen was dialed in. The fans loved it. The team loved it.

During the second quarter, Tennessee safety Nigel Warrior leveled a hit of his own on the Aggies dear No. 12. He was flagged for targeting and when the call was confirmed Mr. Warrior was ejected from the game. As he walked toward the locker room, Cullen Gillaspia stood atop a bench on the sideline, waving goodbye as the crowd sang “Goodbye” in unison.

This moment was later turned into a GIF that took the internet by storm and soon caused Gillaspia to be dubbed “the most hated man in Tennessee.”

Looking Forward

The future seems to be pretty bright for young number 12. The Aggies are excited to see what Cullen will accomplish in the future as he continues his career in maroon and white.

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