Panthers 2021 season opener countdown: 71 days to go

We’re counting down the days until the Panthers kick off the 2021 season.

Now officially closing in on just two months from regular season Panthers football, our countdown lands on No. 71, which happens to be worn by center Sam Tecklenburg and defensive tackle Phil Hoskins. This piece is all about Sam, but if you’d like to read about Phil, you can do so here.

Sam Tecklenburg originally joined the Panthers last year as an undrafted free agent out of Baylor. He began his career at Baylor as a tight end, but moved to offensive line after a couple seasons. He finished off his final season in college as a fifth year senior starting all fourteen games at center and earning Second-Team All-Big 12 honors. Not really sure what his connection to the Panthers was; Baylor players don’t usually sign here with Matt Rhule in charge.

Sarcasm aside, he bounced between the practice squad and the active roster in his rookie year, seeing action in two games. By “action,” I mean he played a total of eight snaps on special teams. After the year, he was signed to a reserve/future contract. This year, he’s currently penciled in as the de facto backup center behind Matt Paradis. I don’t expect him to push for the starting job this season, but I do think he’ll stick on the active roster at that backup center spot. While the team has other players who can play center, Tecklenburg is near the top in terms of total experience at the position.