Texas A&M comes to Tiger Stadium tonight, which means LSU fans can expect to see the Aggies’ most carefully organized tradition: five people in white directing other people to shout at a football game.
They are called Yell Leaders. Texas A&M elects them. There are three seniors and two juniors. Somewhere along the way, Aggieland looked at the simple act of being loud and decided it needed a governing body.
A system for yelling
The Yell Leaders stand in front of the Aggie fans and use hand signals called “pass backs” to tell them which yell comes next. It is crowd participation run like air traffic control.
Imagine needing a signal before you can make noise at a football game. At LSU, someone drops a pass on third down and 100,000 people suddenly become experts in volume. At A&M, apparently, you wait for the person in white to authorize the next sound.
And these are not just casual volunteers. The students hold elections for the positions. A&M has turned “guy who tells everyone to yell” into an office you can campaign for.
They practice
The event is called Midnight Yell Practice, and yes, the last word is doing a lot of work. Aggies gather before games to rehearse their yells. Texas A&M holds the event before home games and says it also holds versions near the cities where the team plays away games.
One can admire the dedication. One can also ask what happens if an Aggie skips practice. Do they yell out of order? Is there a remedial shouting session? Does someone pull them aside and say, “We love your energy, but your timing on ‘Farmers Fight’ needs work”?
About those outfits
The white clothing comes with an origin story. According to Aggie legend, freshmen put on white coveralls and led yells when spectators grew bored during a game in the early 1900s. Texas A&M presents that story as legend, which is fair. It has the unmistakable feel of an explanation someone came up with after being asked why five people were dressed like that.
The outfits stuck. So did the signals, the elections and the rehearsal schedule. Whatever else anyone says about Texas A&M, nobody can accuse the Aggies of abandoning an idea just because the rest of college football finds it goofy.
Welcome to Death Valley
Texas A&M says its Yell Leaders attend every away football game, so they are expected at Tiger Stadium tonight. They can bring the white outfits. They can bring the pass backs. They can bring every yell they practiced.
LSU fans will be ready, too. They have been preparing by living normal lives and knowing how to shout.
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