Texas A&M Fan Delivers Wildly Unexpected Gift to Pope Leo XIV

One Texas A&M fan made sure to spread the Aggie spirit across the world.

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko takes the field prior to the game against the Miami Hurricanes. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The one thing about college football that separates it from other sports is just how passionate and borderline crazy the fans are.

We have seen trees poisoned, mascots stolen and goal posts stripped from the field and paraded downtown before being tossed into a river. However, even with all of the madness that has ensued throughout the years, it may be hard to argue that a fan has spread their passion as globally as Texas A&M student Bryce LaRue.

In a story that was reported by KBTX, it was revealed that the Aggie freshman gave a Texas A&M jersey to one of the most famous people in the world.

Texas A&M gifts Pope XIV a jersey

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko looks on during the third quarter against the Florida Gators at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

After volunteering at the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica last summer, LaRue was invited back by the pope. As he explained to Alex Egan of KBTX, it inspired him to do something a little out of the ordinary.

“I knew that I would probably have the chance to meet the Pope, which was such an incredible moment,” LaRue said to Egan. “So in that, I knew I wanted to get him something special.”

The freshman Aggie also revealed that he got some help from coach Mike Elko to get a special jersey made, and walked Egan through his interaction with the pope.

“So I was like, ‘Pope Leo, Pope Leo.’ And I said, ‘This is a Texas A&M football jersey. We made it for you.’ And he looked at it and you can kind of see in the pictures he was very happy, shocked, very excited, to see something from his home country.”

Back in May, Robert Prevost (Pope Leo XIV), a native of Chicago, was voted on by the Cardinals of the church to become the next pope. There have been over 260 popes throughout history, but Prevost became the first American-born to earn the honor.

While it was likely an unexpected gift for the pope to receive, LaRue did reveal that he was grateful.

“In that moment, he said, ‘Thank you so much.’ And we shook hands, which was just really a special moment for everyone there because everyone was so excited that this happened," LaRue detailed to KBTX.

While there isn't necessarily a hall of fame for fandom, LaRue's efforts to spread his Aggie Pride would certainly be a strong case for an induction.

Whether or not he converted Pope Leo to a Texas A&M fan is unknown at this time, but there is now a world where the pope will be tuning in to watch Marcel Reed and company play.

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