Aggie meets Pope Leo XIV, gifts custom Texas A&M football jersey

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Bryce LaRue (’29) volunteered at the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica in the summer of 2025.

He was invited back to the area by Pope Leo XIV, and the Aggie freshman knew he needed to make the most of the opportunity.

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

“I saw Mike Elko at a volleyball game, went up to him and asked him if he’d help me make a jersey for the Pope.”

Elko agreed, and a custom Aggie Football jersey bearing the number 14 and Leo XIV across the nameplate accompanied LaRue on his trip back to Italy.

“I was so emotional because I look up to Pope Leo so much. I think he’s such a great follower of Christ. And so to be in that moment and to combine my love for this great university that I’m so glad to be at with my faith was truly remarkable,” LaRue said.

“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.”

“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.”

The moment was captured on video by a few pilots he had met earlier in the trip who noticed his A&M shirt. He also found and purchased photos taken by the Vatican media team.

“I definitely learned that being bold in life is how you get to the goals that you have every day, just trying to see if I could explore new opportunities or meet new people,” LaRue said.

“I just love this school so much, and so to be able to give that to one of my favorite people was truly, truly awesome.”