"They're a top-10 team," York said of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, A&M's Saturday night opponent. "You've got to come with it."

The Aggies know the Irish have plenty of talent, but their offense remains a bit of a mystery. They're breaking in a new offensive coordinator in former LSU OC Mike Denbrock and several new receivers. York said that has made for some unique film study.

"Week one is always a little wonky because you don’t know what to expect," he said. "We watched LSU’s film from last year; we even went back and watched Cincinnati’s film from when Desmond Ridder was there in 2021. They have a receiver from Clemson, so we watched some film on him; they have a receiver from FIU, watched some film on him; they’ve got a lot of transfers on their team."

The biggest transfer, however, is the quarterback -- former Duke signal caller Riley Leonard. York said that he and his fellow defenders are well aware of Leonard's ability to change the game with his arm or his feet.

"We really just have to contain the quarterback at all costs. We know he’s a dual threat, but we’re not going to knock his ability throw the ball as well," he said. "It’s all about being on the same page as a defense."

Leonard was the starting quarterback for new A&M coach Mike Elko for two seasons, which Elko said might give him an edge when it comes to figuring out the Aggie defense. In order to limit those concerns, York said the A&M defense will have to mix things up.

"He’s an experienced quarterback. He’s played a lot of football in his college career and we’ve got to give him a lot of different looks," he said. "We’re going to throw different looks at him, keep our shell the way we want to keep it and play football the way we want to play it."

Exactly who will start the game next to York at linebacker remains a question. Elko and the Aggie coaching staff listed Daymion Sanford, Scooby Williams and Solomon DeShields as co-starters on the first depth chart, and York said each brings something different to the field.

"I like the way they approach the game, I like how they communicate when they’re on the field with me," he said. "They all have their strengths, they call can play next to me. It’ll be interesting to see who they put out there to start."

York may have been a matter of days from joining Leonard on the Duke football team for the 2023 season, but Jimbo Fisher and his staff swooped in at the last minute to secure his commitment. Now that Elko is in College Station, York finds himself playing for a man he learned to respect during the recruitment process.

"He’s a man of his word; he wants to get (things) done," York said of Elko. "He’s very time efficient. It’s got to be hustle, on the hop."