WR Jonathan Paylor learned to be patient during redshirt season at NC State

The play itself wasn’t that impactful. It, in all honesty, was just a blip on the box score. One carry for three yards on a jet sweep in the season opener against Western Carolina. 

But for NC State freshman wide receiver Jonathan Paylor that was his introduction to college football. The highly-touted four-star recruit entered his first season on campus with the expectation he wasn’t going to see the field often, and that chance to touch the ball was a dream come true. 

Once he returned to the sideline, Paylor was giddy with excitement. He repeated to himself and nearly anyone that could hear, “I got the ball! I got the ball!”

While that was the speedster’s only statistic recorded during his freshman year as he redshirted after appearing in the first two games, it fueled Paylor to continue to grow as a developmental player with the Wolfpack 

“At the end of the day, knowing that they put me in the game and they were confident … it’s a great thing to see that our coaches actually put trust in guys developing and knowing what’s going on,” Paylor said with a wide smile Wednesday. 

Although his only regular season action boiled down to just five total plays with the three-yard carry, Paylor has an opportunity to have an impact in the Pack’s Military Bowl appearance against East Carolina on Dec. 28. Sophomore inside receiver Kevin “KC” Concepcion and graduate Jalen Coit both entered the transfer portal, leaving redshirt sophomore Ashton Locklear and Paylor as NC State’s top two options in the slot. 

Paylor believed his redshirt season gave him a new perspective on the game — one he can use in the bowl game if his number is called. 

“I feel like the sitting out part really helped,” Paylor said. “I wouldn’t have known what I didn’t if I went out there and started. I wouldn’t have the knowledge of the game I have now. That tool of redshirting and sitting out, watching great players play, you never get to experience that again.”

As a first-year player, Paylor had a front row seat to Concepcion, who was the reigning ACC Rookie of the Year. The dynamic receiver, who Paylor holds a lot of similar traits as, served as his mentor in making the transition to college football. He became a player that Paylor wanted to “mimic” moving forward. 

In his first conversation with Concepcion, Paylor was the student as he taught patience. Concepcion, a shifty playmaker in his own right, was amazed by Paylor’s track speed. The freshman, however, just needed to channel it the right way. 

“‘Bro, I have never seen someone that fast in my entire life, but you need to slow it down,’” Paylor recalled Concepcion telling him. “‘It’s going to come to you.’”

Paylor seemed to take that to heart. He embraced his redshirt role, playing a pivotal role on the Wolfpack’s scout team. The Burlington, N.C., native felt he improved by going against NC State’s first-string defense each day. 

Pack coach Dave Doeren thought the same and saw Paylor take immense strides as a result. 

“You can see that he got better catching the ball, being on the scout team and playing against our DBs every day,” Doeren said of Paylor earlier this month. “We all know how fast he is, learning how to play that position, it’s not always fast. Sometimes it’s about the nuances of route running, how to get open and reading coverage. We’ve seen improvement in him.”

While Paylor has continued to develop as a wide receiver within NC State’s system, his confidence and football knowledge have both taken steps forward, in addition to his route running against the Pack’s top defenders. 

The former running back/wide receiver hybrid player accounted for 2,378 rushing yards with 30 scores on 169 attempts and also recorded 25 receptions for 281 yards and three touchdowns during his senior season at Burlington (N.C.) Cummings High, but he admitted that was a byproduct of being more talented than most on the other teams.

At NC State, though? Not so much. Everyone is on the roster for a reason, and Paylor witnessed that firsthand. It challenged him to become a well-rounded wide receiver, which in turn, has paid dividends. 

Freshman quarterback CJ Bailey, who made eight starts this past fall and enters 2025 as the Wolfpack’s top signal-caller, believed Paylor’s growth will make an impact for NC State moving forward. 

“JP is an explosive guy, I feel like everybody knows that,” Bailey said. “He’s really fast. He’s got great hands, good body control. We expect a lot [from him]. JP, he’s a good player. I can’t wait for everybody to see him.”

While Paylor’s time to play a consistent number of snaps within NC State’s offense is on the horizon, he believed this season might have been one of the best things to happen in his football career. And Concepcion was a key reason why he developed over his first six months on campus. 

“He told me to be confident,” Paylor said of Concepcion’s advice. “Be confident in the role, be confident in my play and be confident in my knowledge.”

“KC Concepcion is one of the greatest role models I’ve ever had in my entire life. Him mentoring me as a young guy coming in was the best decision.”