DLs Nic Scourton, Shemar Turner on Bednarik Award preseason watch list

Defensive front could be a big difference maker for the Ags

Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton and Shemar Turner have been named to the preseason watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which annually honors the nation’s college defensive player of the year, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday morning. The two linemen have also been named to the Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List and earned Preseason All-SEC Second Team accolades from the league’s media.

Scourton arrived in Aggieland in January after leading the Big Ten with 10.0 sacks and ranking fourth with 15.0 tackles for loss as a sophomore last season at Purdue. Starting all 11 games he played in, Scourton was fifth on the team with 50 tackles while also forcing a fumble and breaking up three passes. He closed out the year earning Second Team All-Big Ten honors. A native of Bryan, Texas, Scourton impressed in the Maroon & White Game in the spring, tallying seven tackles, including 3.5 for loss, while contributing to both teams.

Turner returns for his senior season after helping the Aggies boast the best rush defense in the SEC and rank third in the league in total defense (316.2) last season. Texas A&M limited its opponents to just 108.8 rushing yards per game and nine touchdowns on the ground, while leading the league in sacks (42.0) and ranking second in tackles for loss (99.0). Turner started every game he played in over the last two seasons. The DeSoto, Texas, native was top-three on the team last year with 6.0 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss, good for eighth and ninth, respectively, among SEC defensive linemen. He totaled 33 tackles and blocked a pair of kicks as a junior, being named to the All-SEC Second Team by season’s end.

The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994 and is named in honor of Chuck “Concrete Charlie” Bednarik who was an All-American player at the University of Pennsylvania and later a multiple year All Pro linebacker and center for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and was the last NFL player to be a full-time player on both offense and defense.

Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced Nov. 12, while the three finalists will be unveiled Nov. 26. The winners of the 30th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 12. The formal presentations of the Chuck Bednarik Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday, March 14, 2025, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.