Nic Scourton’s second NFL season was supposed to be the one where he took off. Instead, the Carolina Panthers got brutal news out of minicamp on July 23, 2026: the former Texas A&M standout suffered a leg injury in practice that required him to be carted off, and the early reports turned into something far more serious.
Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reported that Scourton was hurt during drills, though Wolfe did not say whether the injury was contact or non-contact. Wolfe also noted that Scourton could not put any pressure on his right leg, that trainers were examining his right knee, and that teammates around him were visibly emotional.
“Nic Scourton was unable to put any pressure on his right leg. It appears significant.
Trainers were looking at his right knee. Teammates near him were very emotional with their frustration.
Scourton, 2025 2nd rd pick, had 5 sacks last year & was expected to have huge Year 2. https://t.co/V0rb0X6Prr”
Minutes later, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Scourton suffered a torn ACL and that it “left him in tears.” Rapoport added that Scourton is done for the upcoming season. He later reported that Scourton will seek a second opinion to confirm whether it is truly an ACL tear.
The injury lands as a massive blow for Carolina. Scourton had been viewed by many Panthers fans and pundits as one of the players most likely to make a major leap in his second year, and Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer called him “in the Top 10 of players [the Panthers] couldn't afford to lose for any bit of time this season.”
For Texas A&M fans, the news hits just as hard. Scourton arrived in College Station in 2024 through the transfer portal after growing up in the Bryan/College Station area. He had started his college career at Purdue, where he played as a freshman and sophomore and tied for the Big 10 lead in sacks in his second season.
That production made him one of the most coveted portal additions in the country. He didn’t quite match those sack totals at Texas A&M, but he still led the Aggies for the year and remained a disruptive presence on the defensive front. The numbers weren’t always eye-popping, but the impact was there.
That combination of production, tape, and pedigree helped make him a second-round pick in 2025. He then delivered as one of the Panthers’ most promising players last season, which is why this injury carries so much weight for both Carolina and the Aggie fan base that watched his rise from close range.
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