Texas A&M football looks to secure its first nine-win campaign since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, during which they played an SEC-only schedule.
The 2024 season is capped off by the Aggies heading west to take on the USC Trojans in the Las Vegas Bowl.
A&M faltered down the stretch, finishing the slate 1-3 in the final month of the season, setting the stage for their appearance in a non-playoff postseason game.
With that comes the reality that they won’t have their full roster available to participate in the season finale. Like many programs in this current age of college football, they will need to do so while short-handed, as players enter the transfer portal while others opt out to protect their draft stock for April’s NFL draft.
As the Aggies prepare for their final game of the 2024 season, they know at least one star player who won’t be suiting up for the matchup.
BUY TICKETS TO TEXAS A&M VS USC
More: Texas A&M football: 4 things to know about QB Jacob Zeno
Aggies begin to opt out of Las Vegas Bowl
More names are sure to come, as it has become customary in today’s college football climate. However, reports state that Texas A&M star pass rusher Nic Scourton is the first of those who will be opting out of the Las Vegas Bowl, looking to preserve his body ahead of the draft process.
On Monday, Scourton made public his intentions to forgo his final year of eligibility to focus on the draft, and as a result it appears he has played his final game at Texas A&M. Scourton’s running mate Shemar Stewart declared for the NFL on the same day, although his intentions for the bowl game is not currently known.
Scourton appeared in all 12 games this season, finishing with five sacks, 37 total tackles and 14 tackles for loss.
A&M currently has 19 players who entered the transfer portal looking for opportunities elsewhere, and while it is not official that all will sit out the season finale, the Aggies may be best served to plan accordingly as they wrap up the 2024 campaign.
Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas A&M vs USC football: Players opting out of Las Vegas Bowl
