The seventh letter of intent comes from running back Jayden "Duke" Scott of Stockbridge (Ga.) High.
Here is a full bio on Scott.
Stats
• Senior year: Scott finished with 237 carries for 2,482 yards and 39 touchdowns, plus 13 catches for 192 yards and a score.
• Junior year: He rushed 64 times for 542 yards and 10 touchdowns in five games.
• Sophomore year: He rushed 75 times for 459 yards and six touchdowns in four games, plus added two receptions for 17 yards.
Ratings
• Rivals.com: Three stars, No. 33 running back in the country, No. 58 overall in Georgia.
• 247Sports: Three stars, No. 60 running back in the country, No. 98 overall in Georgia.
• ESPN: Three stars, No. 64 running back in the country, No. 99 overall in Georgia.
Stockbridge (Ga.) High coach Thomas Clark
NC State running back signee Jayden “Duke” Scott had a dream-like senior year at Stockbridge (Ga.) High.
Scott helped Stockbridge High go 12-3 and reach the Georgia High School Association AAAA state title game. Scott rushed 28 times for 125 yards and a touchdown, but Perry (Ga.) High won 38-27.
“The state championship game was an experience for everyone and for me as a head coach,” Stockbridge coach Thomas Clark said. "It is a difficult task to get there, so that shows what Jayden and this class had to work to get us there. It isn't easy."
The 5-foot-10, 205-pounder tallied 237 carries for 2,482 yards and 39 touchdowns in 15 games played. He stayed healthy after going through back-to-back seasons marred by injury in 2022 and 2021.
“He was really limited the last two years because of the injuries he had, but we knew beforehand from the year he had freshman year,” Clark said. “I started as coach of the varsity [in 2020, Scott’s sophomore year]. He had slightly over five yards a carry as a freshman.”
Scott also had some of his best games when his team needed him most in the playoffs. He had 27 carries for 310 yards and three scores in a 45-31 win over Savannah (Ga.) Benedictine High in the state semifinals Dec. 1. He also had 21 carries for 218 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-24 win over Atlanta (Ga.) Westminster High on Nov. 17.
Scott finished with five games of at least 200 rushing yards, and he scored at least two touchdowns in all but the state title game.
“We had seven or eight running clocks this year,” Clark said. “The numbers he had, if we had played him and gotten more touches, he would have had over 3,000 yards on the year, and probably another 7-to-10 touchdowns. That is the crazy part of all of that.”
Clark was also proud that Stockbridge High also made history for being the first team from Henry County — just southeast of Atlanta — to reach the state title game.
“There are 12 public high schools, and most good-sized in 4A or 5A,” Clark said. “We were the first team to make it to the state title game in Henry County history. That also means first time in Stockbridge High history. We had been close. We had a good run from 2013-to-2018. We made it to the quarters every year and the semi’s three times, but also fell short.”
Clark wouldn’t be surprised if Scott made an instant impact as a true freshman. Other schools tried to see if Scott had some wiggle room in his commitment, but he remained loyal to NC State and running backs coach Todd Goebbel.
“Coach Goebbel did a phenomenal job of recruiting him and establishing that relationship,” Clark said. “He is down with them. He’ll be a NC State Wolfpack.
"One thing about Duke, he'll do everything he needs to do. It's just a natural process of him getting bigger, faster and stronger. I think he'll be a young man who has the ability to play early."
— Jacey Zembal
Honors/Accomplishments
• Coach Clark said Scott was the region offensive player of the year, and he was nominated for all-state in 4A, and is a candidate for 4A offensive player of the year.
Recruitment
NC State zeroed in on Scott and he picked the Wolfpack over finalists Wake Forest and Rutgers on April 19, 2023, and also considered Duke, Northwestern, South Carolina and Louisville. He had 32 scholarship offers, 18 of which came from Power Five Conference programs.
Recruiter of Record
NC State running backs coach Todd Goebel.
Quotable
“My parents loved it and it was my mom’s first time being at NC State. This was probably the best time for her to be here. We also got to talk to [former NCSU running back] Nyheim Hines.” — Jayden "Duke" Scott
2023 Projection
Scott has every opportunity to split carries at running back next year.
Highlights
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