Jaylon Scott, Porter Rooks ready to step up after embracing previous roles
Patience has been a key term and a core value for NC State linebacker Jaylon Scott and receiver Porter Rooks over the past couple of years. Both Wolfpack athletes spent time behind star players who could end up on NFL rosters next year.
They made plays when the coaches called their names, sometimes even starting pivotal ACC games due to injury. This year, Scott and Rooks have the opportunity to contribute in major roles.
Rooks is learning a new system this year as offensive coordinator and inside receivers coach Robert Anae establishes his air raid system. As he competes for snaps in the slot, the receiver said he is a fan of his new position coach.
“Coach Anae, that’s my guy,” Rooks said. “He’s real intense, and he’s very blunt on how he wants things to work. He just expects perfection, and that’s what we’re going to give him.”
After backing up former Pack star Thayer Thomas for a couple of years, Rooks said he learned a lot. The fourth-year junior is excited to compete for a starting job this season and explained why he chose to stick with the Pack until this opportunity arrived.
“NC State, it’s more than football here to me,” Rooks said. “This is a home away from home. This locker room is something that you won’t find everywhere, so it was a no-brainer to me, especially with the role that I could be stepping into.”
Subscribe to The Wolfpacker today with our limited-time $29.99 deal for premium access until 8/31/23
Head coach Dave Doeren worked hard over the past 11 years to build up a program that backs up Rooks’ comments.
“I think, [with] our culture, we’ve seen this year-in and year-out, these kids like playing here. They’re treated with respect, they’re pushed, they’re held accountable, they’re loved.
“We surround them with really good teachers, we surround them with great strength coaches, our sports med people, [athletic director Boo Coorigan] does a great job allowing us to maintain staff, giving us opportunities to be competitive with other schools and keep people here.”
Scott is another great example of patience turning into playing time. The linebacker has started 9 games over the course of his NC State career, often due to injury. That experience will help the linebacker room continue its elite level of play from last year.
Top 10
- 1Live
Ole Miss storms field
Celebration starts too early after beating Georgia
- 2
Tour of Oxford
Goalposts visit local landmarks after Georgia upset
- 3New
Todd Golden speaks
Statement released amid stalking accusations
- 4
Goalposts down
Georgia Tech fans march through campus after upsetting Miami
- 5
Ole Miss squirrel returns
Critter back in Oxford, delays game
“Me, Devon Betty and Payton Wilson, we’ve all had a lot of experience,” Scott said. “We kind of know how the system flows. We know how it’s supposed to be [run].
Wilson, Drake Thomas and Isaiah Moore were fixtures in the Wolfpack’s starting lineup during their careers in Raleigh so, when that trio was healthy, Scott played a reserve role.
Limited playing time did not discourage the linebacker, and he made 20 total tackles last season and played a significant number of snaps in 2021. His decision to stick around and make plays this fall as a senior came down to his faith in the Wolfpack program.
“Just trusting my coaches, especially my strength staff, just buying into the process, just being coachable, just allowing them to help me better myself and help me be prepared for this opportunity that I have now,” Scott said.
NC State went 4-8 in 2019— Scott’s freshman season in Raleigh. He was a part of the team’s surge back to ACC Championship contention over the past couple of seasons. Doeren is proud of the work the linebacker has put in on and off the field, which sets him up to make plays for the Pack this fall.
“He’s done a lot, not just physically, but he’s done a lot emotionally, mentally, too, and he’s come a long way,” Doeren said. “He sat behind some really good players. He has played, and he has helped us, and it’s his time.”
