Texas A&M football DE garners preseason All-American distinctions from two outlets

Texas A&M football DE Nic Scourton named preseason All-American by ESPN and Sporting News

It should come as no surprise to Texas A&M football fans to hear that Mike Elko landing Nic Scourton from the transfer portal only continues to look like a bigger win with every passing day. By this point, the former Purdue Boilermaker may be the most highly-regarded Aggie player—maybe outside of Conner Weigman—on the entire roster when it comes to national perception.

Leading a conference like the Big 10 in sacks will help you get such a distinction pretty easily. If Scourton is able to do the same in the SEC—and I think there's good reason to believe that he can do just that—then you're talking about a top-10 draft pick come May.

That in mind, it makes sense that outlets are trying to get in early on the forthcoming Scourton hype train. The Aggie defensive lineman was named as a first-team preseason All-American by both Sporting News and ESPN.

No. 11 for the Aggies had to edge out Georgia's Mykel Williams, himself a deserving selection due to his own prowess at the position, in both instances. This places Scourton in the somewhat strange predicament of being preseason second-team all-SEC and preseason first-team All-American, as the gathered media voted Williams ahead of him last month.

That progression speaks to the growing regard in which Mike Elko's Texas A&M football program is being held around the country. Even though the games aren't yet being played, as pollsters and media members look around the country, they're seeing things coming together in College Station in an intriguing way.

Scourton himself stated that his goal this season is to gain this same distinction by season's end. Consider this a sign that he is well on his way to doing exactly that.