Two defensive stars of the Texas A&M Aggies are receiving a lot of praise just before the regular season.
A&M defensive linemen Shemar Turner and Nic Scourton have both been named to the Chuck Bednarik Award, the team announced Monday. The award is given annually to the best defensive player in college football. Last season, the award went to NC State linebacker Payton Wilson Jr.
The semi-finalists for the award will be announced on Tuesday 12 November, before the three finalists are announced two weeks later on 26 November. The winner will be crowned on Thursday 12 December.
Turner is entering his fourth season at Texas A&M. He had a career year in the 2023 season and is expected to get even better. Last season, he finished with career highs in tackles (33), sacks (six) and forced fumbles (two).
The DeSoto, Texas, native had recorded a sack in three consecutive games to begin non-conference play last year before adding three more against SEC opponents.
Scourton, a native of Bryan, Texas, is entering his first season with the Aggies after spending the past two years with the Purdue Boilermakers. Despite Purdue’s 4-8 record last season, he led the Big Ten with 10 sacks. If he can deliver a similar performance in the SEC next season, there’s no telling how high his potential could rise before the 2025 NFL Draft, as Scourton has already turned heads this offseason thanks to his performance last year.
In two years at Purdue, Scourton recorded 72 total tackles, 12 sacks, two forced fumbles and three passes defensed.
No. 20 Texas A&M will look to field its star defensive duo led by quarterback Riley Leonard when the Aggies host No. 7 Notre Dame in the season opener at Kyle Field on Saturday, August 31. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on ABC.
