PARENT'S PERSPECTIVE: The Jonathan Paylor Commitment

NC State recently picked up their biggest 2024 commitment to date when Burlington (NC) Cummings 4-star athlete Jonathan Paylor‍ committed to the Wolfpack.

As is often the case, Paylor’s entire recruitment was heavily directed by his parents. Paylor’s mother and father played a huge role in navigating him through the process while helping him to figure out which schools check the most boxes. In the end, it was the Wolfpack’s head coach that put NC State on top.

Inside Pack Sports caught up with Paylor’s father, Bernard Pennix, for a parent’s perspective on the recruiting process. 

“Coach Dave Doeren sold us on NC State,” said Pennix. “When we went there, he’s a genuine guy. They crossed all their T’s and dotted all their I’s. When we met coach Doeren, coach Phillips, and looking at the program -- I told Jon, this program is on the way up. 

“He liked what he saw at first, but I told Jon, don’t jump on the first thing you see. But the more he went there, the more he liked it. I told him, before you make a decision, sleep on it first. If you wake up in the morning and you feel the same way, that’s your choice. Because I told him, when you make that choice, you’ve got to stay there for four years. Make sure this is what you want. This isn’t a girlfriend, this is a wife you’re choosing. It’s your wife for four years. I told him you can’t just wake up and want to break up with them. So, if this is the choice you want to make, I support you 100%.”

It was important to Paylor and his family to take a detailed approach to recruiting. They had specific things they were looking for in a school, but only one that addressed them all.

“We laid everything down on the table. We looked at everything these schools had. We looked at the proximity as far as how far we’d have to drive to see him play. We looked at what kind of offense they ran. What the coaching situation looked like, and whether they were winning or losing. And I told Jon, NC State has got all the pieces in place. They need one more piece and that’s you. When he said he wanted to commit to them I told him that was a good choice.”

One of the biggest items was distance, and the fact that NC State is less than an hour away from Burlington played a huge role in the family’s decision.

“My thing is, I didn’t want him to be any more than five hours away. That way if something happened I could get in my car and drive there. Plus, I wanted to be able to see him play. I didn’t just want to watch him on TV. I wanted to be able to sit there and enjoy being a fan and being a parent and put my jersey on, too. I wanted to be in the stands with Paylor on the back. 

“When we started to look at it like that it started to narrow the pool. I told him, I didn’t have anything bad about Penn State. My brother lives in Philadelphia. It wouldn’t be a problem for me, but I told Jon it’s colder up there than it is here, but if you choose it, I’m going to support you. And that went for all the schools.”

One of the things that separates Paylor from many other players is his dedication to the game and the desire to get just a little bit better every day. Pennix talked about his son’s work ethic.

“In five years he’s only missed a workout maybe 10 times in five years,” said Pennix. “And mind you, we train every day - Monday to Sunday. The workouts he missed was because he had to take college visits, the time he had to take CPR recertification because he’s a lifeguard. One time he went to the prom. 

“Every other time, I tell you, he worked out after a football game. He played baseball in middle school -- a lot of people don’t know that -- he worked out after a baseball game because he wasn’t tired. He worked out after a track meet because he wasn’t tired. And he works out after practice. When he comes home, we work out.”

In the end, Pennix was just gratified and relieved that the countless hours and hard work had paid off. He was simply a proud dad. And deservedly so.

“I’m relieved, but it was a bit overwhelming because I still see him as my little boy. When I see him and the way people respond, I’m a little taken aback by it. 

“My biggest thing was I didn’t want him to have to deal with college debt, so I told him, Jon, if you want to get a scholarship, you’ve gotta train. And training will require sacrifice. He said ‘okay’. He took it and just ran with it. But I’m proud. I couldn’t be more proud.”