We’re counting down the days until the Panthers open up the 2025 season!
In this series, we’ll be counting down until opening kickoff by running through the Panthers roster by jersey number. Today’s piece looks at the current and historical players to have ever donned No. 80 for the Carolina Panthers.
Current Player: Jacolby George
George (5’11”, 175 lbs) was signed by the Panthers as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft. He was a four star recruit coming out of high school and attended Miami (FL) for all four of his college seasons. 2023 was George’s breakout season for the Hurricanes, as he hauled in 57 catches for 864 yards and eight touchdowns, earning him third team All-ACC status. Last season, his explosive plays took a bit of a dip as his YPC dropped, but his total catches and touchdowns were both about equal to his junior campaign. Still, that was enough to earn him All-ACC Honorable Mention.
George was clearly a top UDFA target for the Panthers, as they offered a contract with more guaranteed money than he would have received as a sixth round pick. The Panthers clearly believe he might be able to overcome his disappointing NFL Combine and make the same splash plays in the NFL as he did in college.
Notable Previous Players to wear number 80: Ian Thomas, Jeremy Shockey, Dwayne Jarrett, Dwight Stone
The most recent player to wear number 80 for the Panthers was the much maligned Ian Thomas. The tight end was a very good blocker for the team but left a lot to be desired as a pass catcher. Add to that multiple coaching staffs insistence on him playing a bunch of snaps, and you’ve got a recipe for the meme Thomas has become here on CSR. Jeremy Shockey was perhaps the most productive number 80 in Panthers history. Despite only playing in Charlotte for one season, he added an approximate value of 4 according to Pro Football Reference. For comparison, Thomas added an AV of 8 across his seven seasons with the team. Dwayne Jarrett donned the 80 before Shockey and had an extremely disappointing four seasons with the team. The first player to wear the number for the Panthers was Dwight Stone back when the team had just been created. Stone spent a few seasons as a wide receiver with the team but barely saw the field except on coverage teams. He did get credited for a safety, though, against the St Louis Rams in 1997 when the Rams punter stepped out of bounds in the endzone.