Texas A&M football: 30 greatest players of all-time
By Jeff Shull
Accolades – 2011 Freshman All-American, 2012 All-Big 12, 2013 Consensus All-American, 2013 Outland Trophy
Team signature moment – Defeating No. 1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa
Luke Joeckel is one of the best offensive lineman to ever play at Texas A&M, even if his NFL career hasn’t lived up to being the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. He came to A&M as a freshman early enrollee in 2010 and it would allow him to earn a starting job as a true freshman. He started all 13 games and was named to the Freshman All-American team.
2011 was even better for Joeckel, who again started all 13 games and this time was awarded with All-Big 12 honors. The line allowed just nine sacks all season and set (then) school records for yards, passing yards and points scored.
Then, the Aggies moved to the SEC and Joeckel had his best season yet. Again, he started every game and protected the blind side of Johnny Manziel, who would go on to be A&M’s second Heisman Trophy winner in school history.
The Aggies set the SEC on fire that season, finishing 11-2 and defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide in their house then beating the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl.
Joeckel declared for the 2013 NFL Draft after a stellar career where he started every single game from day one. He had a ton of hype heading into the draft and the consensus was he was a sure-thing. He played 50 games in the NFL, 35 starts at left tackle, but is currently a free agent and didn’t play in the 2018 season.