A&M 12th Man Cullen Gillaspia selected in the seventh round by the Houston Texans
Cullen Gillaspia, perhaps the best player to ever don Texas A&M’s 12th Man jersey, now will wear a Houston Texans jersey.
The Texans chose Gillaspia on Saturday in the seventh round of the NFL draft. The selection of Gillaspia adds to a tremendous success story of one of the most popular Aggies from the last three seasons.
Known for his long blonde hair and reckless style of play on special teams, Gillaspia was a Texas A&M walk-on in 2014 after earning recognition as an all-district linebacker at Katy Taylor High School.
Gillaspia redshirted in 2014, but appeared in three games on special teams in 2015. As a third-year sophomore he began to distinguish himself as the 12th Man. He earned a scholarship after August camp and then went on to earn Special Teams Co-MVP status. He posted nine tackles, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.
Then, in 2017 he made an even bigger contribution. A team captain, he posted nine tackles, blocked a punt against Florida and blocked another punt for a safety against Alabama and returned two kickoffs for 18 yards.
He also took on a fullback role when Jimbo Fisher took over as coach in 2018. Gillaspia posted two tackles on special teams, on of which pinned Kentucky inside its own 10-yard line.
He also was a lead blocker for tailback Trayveon Williams, who rushed for a school record 1,760 yards. Gillaspia caught five passes for 52 yards and rushed five times for 33 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown run against against North Carolina State in the Gator Bowl.
Gillaspia completed his A&M career with 25 tackles, a forced fumble, a recovered fumble and two blocked kicks.