NC State football countdown to 2023 kickoff: 2
The NC State football season opener for 2023 is at Connecticut on Aug. 31 — or 2 days away. TheWolfpacker.com’s countdown for the season looks at the significance of the number 2 in Pack history.
NC State Football And The No. 2
• One of two players wearing No. 2 this season for NC State football is super senior linebacker Jaylon Scott.
When Scott was a sophomore at Shelby (N.C.) High, he delivered a standout performance in the state title game that happened to be played at Carter-Finley Stadium in front of the NC State football coaches. Ever since that point, Scott was on the Wolfpack recruiting board for the class of 2019.
He also picked up offers from Clemson, Colorado, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, Syracuse and West Virginia before choosing NC State.
Scott played six games as a true freshman in 2019 and had 10 tackles. In 2020, Scott played in all 12 games and started the Gator Bowl loss to Kentucky. The highlight of his season was an interception against Duke. A year later, Scott started six games after a season-ending injury to Payton Wilson and finished the campaign with 30 tackles, including four for loss and two sacks.
He picked up two more starts while finishing with 20 tackles in 2022. Scott has been praised by the NC State defensive coaches for his strong preseason camp performance, and he is slated for a full-time starting role this fall.
• Also wearing No. 2 for NC State football this fall is promising sophomore running back Michael Allen. Coming out of Rose High in Greenville, N.C., in the class of 2022, Allen was rated a four-star in the On3 Industry Rankings, checking in at No. 25 nationally among running backs and No. 9 overall in the state of North Carolina.
Allen emerged with a significant role in the final six games of his rookie year and finished with a total of 53 rushes for 268 yards and 11 catches for 97 yards and a score. He is expected to be a prominent ball carrier for NC State in 2023.
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• One of the best players to wear No. 2 for NC State football was cornerback Lloyd Harrison, who played for the Wolfpack from 1996-99. He ended his Wolfpack career with 12 interceptions, tied for fourth most all-time. Harrison also broke up 40 passes, third most in NC State football history.
In 1998, Harrison was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press after leading the ACC in interceptions with seven, and a year later he was selected third-team. Harrison also set a school record in 1998 with 23 pass breakups, which also was tops in the conference.
In addition to football, Harrison also ran track at NC State and was part of the 1996 4×100 relay team that won the ACC title.
After NC State, Harrison, who was also a two-time first-team All-ACC selection, was drafted in the third round by Washington and played three seasons in the NFL with three different teams.
Harrison was part of a great cornerback duo that NC State had in the late 1990s. Tony Scott had 45 pass breakups from 1996-99, second in school history. Scott was named second-team All-ACC in 1999 after leading the conference with 18 PBUs. He was then drafted in the sixth round by the New York Jets. He played two seasons with that franchise in the NFL.
