Fossil Ridge’s Trey Zuhn III is living the dream at Texas A&M | College Football Insider

Trey Zuhn III was born to be an Aggie.

His grandparents taught at Texas A&M. His parents both attended Texas A&M.

Now, the former Fossil Ridge star is heading into what could be his final season in college football and his third as the starting left tackle for the Aggies. There’s a chance the NFL comes calling after this season.

He grew up dreaming of the chance to play at Kyle Field, a dream he's lived for four years.

"It's surpassed all my expectations," Zuhn told The Denver Gazette. "I came in here and I was a scared freshman not knowing if I could cut it in the SEC. But I just proved to myself that I belong here and now with (the University of) Texas coming back, it's a dream come true.”

That’s right, it’s hard to talk to anybody in College Station lately without that team from Austin coming up in the conversation.

With the Longhorns joining the SEC, one of the most heated rivalries in college football will be renewed in the final week of the season. Even with No. 7 Notre Dame making a visit to Aggieland in what could be the best game of Week 1, Zuhn has a hard time hiding his true feelings when asked for his most-anticipated game of the 2024 season.

“The politically correct answer would be to say the next game, but I'm definitely looking forward to that Texas game, just growing up hearing about the rivalry from my parents and my entire family,” Zuhn said.

Zuhn even went out of his way to point out at SEC media days he has a real longhorn skull mounted on his wall — with one caveat.

“It happens to be upside down,” Zuhn said.

Sure, helping the program get to 10 wins for the first time in 12 years and making a run at the College Football Playoff would be nice, but there would likely be nothing better than putting a beat down on the team in burnt orange when they make the trip to Kyle Field in November.

“I just can't wait,” Zuhn said.

But Zuhn and his teammates will have to wait. And Saturday’s matchup against a top-10 team has them focused on the task at hand.

"I want to say we would prepare for anybody, but having Notre Dame, a big-name team, has definitely kept people sharp,” Zuhn said. “Knowing you have that great team coming in here is a little extra boost to know we need to get our stuff right."

Having ESPN’s “College GameDay” on campus has only added to the big game feel as well.

“All the Aggies are already buzzing,” he said. "Even in my classes they're bringing it up. It's gonna be quite the show out for ‘College GameDay’ at the game, so I just can't wait to get there and whoop their butts.”

But even while he’s living the dream in College Station, Zuhn hasn’t forgotten the place that helped mold him into the player and person he is today: Colorado.

“That's where I was raised,” Zuhn said. “That's where all of my best friends and my memories growing up are. I definitely stay in contact with people there and, yeah, I keep an eye on Fossil Ridge. That’ll always be where I came from. I always have love for Colorado.”

5 Games to Watch

West Virginia vs. No. 8 Penn State (10 a.m. Saturday, FOX)

An early road test for James Franklin and the Nittany Lions, who took care of the Mountaineers in Happy Valley last year and could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the new 12-team playoff. Penn State is hoping a new offensive scheme under coordinator Andy Kotelnicki will help get the program closer to the likes of Michigan and Ohio State at the top of the Big Ten and against a WVU team that could surprise some in the Big 12, this is the perfect chance to show off improvement.

No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 14 Clemson (10 a.m., ABC)

One of two meetings between ranked teams in Week 1, Georgia and Clemson meet for the first time since a 10-3 win for the Bulldogs that opened the 2021 season. Kirby Smart’s program is one of the preseason favorites to win the national championship, while Dabo Swinney and the Tigers are looking for a bounce-back season after failing to win double digit games for the first time since 2010.

Florida vs. No. 19 Miami (1:30 p.m., ABC)

Miami is ready for a run at an ACC title and a trip to the playoff thanks to the additions of QB Cam Ward (Washington State), RB Damien Martinez (Oregon State) and others from the transfer portal. It’s a difficult road game against an in-state rival to begin the season, especially given how much of a make-or-break season this is for the Gators and coach Billy Napier, who’s had back-to-back losing seasons to start his tenure in Gainesville.

Houston vs. UNLV (5 p.m., FS1)

This game might not have a lot of juice on paper, but it will be a fun, early-season inflection point for both programs. Houston is eager to get the Willie Fritz era off to a good start and prove year two in the Big 12 will be better than the first when the Cougars went 4-8 overall and 2-7 in conference play. Meanwhile, the Rebels are out to prove last year’s trip to the Mountain West title game was no fluke. All-American wideout Ricky White III gives UNLV one of the best players in the Group of Five.

No. 20 Texas A&M vs. No. 7 Notre Dame (5:30 p.m., ABC)

An epic conclusion to the first full Saturday of college football in 2024. It’s one of just three true road games all season for Notre Dame, which seems poised for an at-large berth in the playoff thanks to a strong end to last season in which the Fighting Irish won five of six. Marcus Freeman’s team also added dynamic QB Riley Leonard from Duke. But it’s still Texas A&M at Kyle Field and the Aggies will want to start the Mike Elko era with a home win over a top-10 opponent.

Predictions for the first-ever 12-team playoff | College Football Insider

King’s preseason Heisman ballot

1. Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon

By now, everyone in college football knows Gabriel. He’s appeared in at least three games in each of the last five seasons at both UCF and Oregon and now enters his sixth and final year of eligibility, his first with the Ducks. He’s already top 10 in career passing yards and has a chance to break Case Keenum’s record should he lead Oregon on a deep run in the playoff.

2. Cam Ward, QB, Miami

You could make a pretty good list of five Heisman candidates by only including quarterbacks who changed teams this offseason. Ward is the only other transfer on my preseason ballot, but I couldn’t be much higher on him and the Hurricanes, my pick to win the ACC. Over the last three seasons at Wazzu, Ward threw for 11,614 yards and 95 touchdowns. Now he has even more talent surrounding him in Coral Gables.

3. Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado

Everyone saw Travis Hunter's ability Thursday night in Colorado's season opener. Over 130 snaps, 132 receiving yards, three spectacular touchdown catches and three tackles on defense. Hunter is must-see TV. I laid out a potential Heisman season for Hunter last August and it still holds true in 2024.

4. Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri

There will likely be more than two quarterbacks in New York as finalists for the Heisman Trophy, but it’s no fun to put five QBs on this list. Instead, let’s talk about arguably the most exciting non-QB offensive player in the country. Burden burst onto the scene for a good Tigers team last year, finishing just shy of 1,200 receiving yards to go with eight touchdowns. He could be in for an even bigger 2024 season as he and Mizzou enter the year with hopes to make the expanded playoff before Burden likely winds up as a top pick in next year’s NFL draft.

5. Abdul Carter, LB, Penn State

Just one defensive player has finished in the top three in Heisman voting in the last decade and that was Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson in 2021. But Carter has all the makings of having a special season for the Nittany Lions. The Philadelphia native moved from linebacker to defensive end in the offseason and is drawing comparisons to another recent PSU star, Micah Parsons, who had to wait until the NFL to make that same position change, which unlocked his skill set as one of the best defensive players in the league. Oh, and Carter happens to wear Parsons’ No. 11 at PSU.