North Carolina A&T football has an Aggie returning to the Carolinas as Mac McCain was signed by the Panthers. McCain signed with the Panthers after being released by the Detroit Lions in May, per Darin Gantt of Panthers.com.

“The Panthers made a change in the secondary Friday, after working some players out following practice. The Panthers signed cornerback Mac McCain.”

The Panthers waived rookie Colby Richardson to make room to acquire McCain, who joined the league as an undrafted free agent signed by the Denver Broncos in 2021. McCain joined the Philidelphia Eagles after being released by Denver. The former standout played his first game for the Eagles in week 3 vs. the Dallas Cowboys. He played 13 special team snaps in the week 3 41-21 loss. Ironically, he also was on the team during the Eagles' 21-18 week 5 loss against the Carolina Panthers. The game also featured another former Aggie, then Panthers defensive lineman Darryl “DJ” Johnson Jr.

McCain was waived by the Eagles on November 9, 2021, but officially returned on a reserve/future contract on January 18, 2022. McCain stayed on the roster through the 2022 season and was a part of the team during their Super Bowl 57 appearance against the Kansas City Chiefs. He was one of four HBCU alumni on the active Super Bowl roster, including his then-teammate Javon Hargrave.

In his career at North Carolina A&T, he's played 20 games and racked up 113 tackles (66 solo), 8 interceptions, 22 pass breakups, and 30 pass deflections. He also totaled 374 career interception yards and was featured on the Buck Buchanan Award watchlist in 2019. Also noteworthy, McCain is the grandson of the Greensboro Four's Franklin McCain. The Greensboro Four, consisting of four North Carolina A&T students, were involved in the iconic 1960 Woolworth lunch-counter sit-in protest. This event is widely recognized as the catalyst for the modern-day Civil Rights Movement.

McCain looks to take the field for the Panthers this preseason. The Panther's first preseason contest is against the Jets on August 12th at 4 PM.