Howdy, Welcome to AggieMaven

When you think of Texas, it's hard not to tie football right alongside it immediately. With high school stadiums the size of average colleges, recruiting never-ending and the grind of sweat and tears buried deep in the turf, football is a way of life here.

Growing up in the Lone Star State, I can still remember the Friday night lights blaring on my face I'd go dive towards the running backs' legs and make the tackle. While not the biggest player on my team, I had the heart that coaches love. I left everything out on the field, never stopped working, hit the weight room early, left the film room late, and did what I could to improve.

I knew I'd never become a professional football player, that never was the goal. So, what was the next best thing? Writing and reporting about it seemed pretty cool to me. Talk about a sport and getting paid? Sign me up. However, when you look at what it takes to cover a sport as a career, you have to have the same intensity just like when you're on the field.

Howdy, Aggies fans. I'm Cole Thompson and welcome to AggieMaven, Sports Illustrated brand new Texas A&M Aggies news outlet. When you check in here, you'll be caught up to date with all things surrounding A&M athletics, starting with of course with football and working our way through the remainder of Gig'Em sports.

Maven has created a vision to reshape the way we see sports media today. Major media outlets will always be able to provide recaps surrounding the league, but few focus on the in-depth analysis of a team or a school. At Maven, our goal is to provide the best content surrounding all sports with up to date news on recruiting, injuries and highlights surrounding your school.

When you join AggieMaven, consider yourself a part of our family. Not only will you receive up-to-date information on A&M football this season, but you'll also be a member of our community. On top of receiving daily articles, videos, social media post and more, we will provide you an active community board for all to interact and connect. Also, the best part? It's free!

The community board will not just be for articles posted from AggieMaven. If a member, you can post other content from other sites to help the news keep growing around all the Texas A&M. And if you have a thought? Please post it on the community page! I'd be happy to answer all the questions I can for you to feel welcome.

But in the end, AggieMaven is here to give you great content on everything you need to know about your team up in College Station. From Seattle, Washington to Orlando, Florida, if you're an Aggie fan, this is where you belong. Like a Saturday night at Kyle Field, there's no place better for you to be.

As a SEC alum, I have watched the Aggies from the get-go grow. Not only should they be considered a threat in football, but every sport is ready to rise and take control as the team to beat in the SEC. It won't be long until banners are hung from the rafters and parades fill Main St. consistently. I'm honored to be able to return close to home and watch "The Home of the 12th Man" become the "Home of Champions."

So, sit back, bookmark us and get ready to join the ride. All you have to do is just hit the follow button. We have an exciting year of sports on the way and something tells me it's a year to remember. We here at Sports Illustrated can't wait to bring you all the news surrounding the best school in Texas.

Thanks y'all, and welcome to AggieMaven. Gig'Em!

Note: Maven is currently in the process of integrating all sites into the Sports Illustrated domain. At that moment, the domain will not switch over, but rather be found directly on Sports Illustrated under a new tab. This will not affect the daily use of the site, and the URL to the site will be redirected automatically when the process is complete.