Jaylon Scott: "My Goal is to Help the Younger Guys"
NC State linebacker Jaylon Scott met with the media as the Wolfpack progresses through fall camp in the lead-up to the 2023 season.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Scott’s interview.
On the opportunity this season…
It’s a really big opportunity. We’ve had Drake [Thomas], Isaiah [Moore], and Payton [Wilson] here since I’ve been here. They’ve been those guys in the starting role. [Devon] Betty and I are stepping up in this role, and we’re taking it head on. There’s no missed beats there. We’re going to continue to work. Payton’s out there with us, and he’s going to make sure we’re being held to that standard Drake and Isaiah set and even raise it a little bit more. That’s what we’re hopefully going to accomplish this year.
On the pride the linebacker room has to continue the previous corps’ success…
It’s a tremendous opportunity just because it hasn’t always been like this. We haven’t always had the luxury to just go out there with the ones everyday and be able to communicate and compete with the ones. With this opportunity, it just feels amazing.
On being patient…
It was tough at first. I leaned on my older guys. I leaned on Zay. I leaned on Drake. I leaned on Payton. Those guys kept me along. I rely heavily on my faith, also, and my faith in these coaches. Coach [Tony] Gibson has had my back through almost everything here since the day I walked onto campus when Coach [Dave Huxtable] was the defensive coordinator here. Coach Gibson has had my back since day one, and it’s a great deal for me to reciprocate that back to him.
On the urgency of holding his starting spot from the younger guys…
I just need to continue to be me and play my game. At the end of the day, I know that if I continue to do what I do, continue to help the younger guys, and continue to lead in the way I am, that’ll continue to set me apart. Like I said before, I learned a lot from Drake, Zay, and Payton. I know the defense as well as anybody else in the room does, if not even more, and I take that with a lot of pride because I know, if any of those guys need help, they’ll come to either me or [Wilson].
On watching Thomas…
He has great control over his body with everything that he does. Whether that's playing in space, whether that’s blitzing, whether that’s trying to go make tackles on the other side of the field, Drake plays with great, great body control, and that’s something that I want to apply to my game.
On what would make this season a success…
Honestly, I don’t have any individual goals. My goal here, since I stepped into this new role, is to help the younger guys, make sure we’re on the same page, make sure they’re learning as much as I did whenever Drake and Isaiah was here. When I was in that role, I wanted to learn. I wanted to do anything that was going to help the team. That’s my priority, not any individual goals.
On the younger standouts…
We all know about Caden [Fordham]. I like Caden a lot. I feel like Jayland Parker has been making some strides here. He’s learned a lot. He’s come a long way since he came onto campus. Jordan Poole has also shown flashes. As far as the younger guys who’ve just come in, I feel like Kelvon McBride is going to be a good player once he learns the system, gets through a year of the system, and gets some weight on him. I feel like he’s going to be one of those guys who’s going to compete for a position.