Jakobi Meyers embraces playing wide receiver
NC State redshirt sophomore Jakobi Meyers has known nothing but change the last few years, but now has a rock-solid plan moving forward.
Meyers was a three-sport standout at Arabia Mountain High in Lithonia, Ga., playing football, baseball and basketball. He was slated to attend Kent State at one point, but after NC State had a quarterback decommit to attend Indiana, the Wolfpack swooped in to land the two-star sleeper.
Meyers was honored to wear No. 16, which was former star quarterback Russell Wilson’s number with NC State. Injuries affected his development, but just a year ago, he was in contention for the starting job or at least be the backup quarterback. However, the arrival of Boise State graduate transfer Ryan Finley altered those plans. Finley eventually won the starting quarterback position, and Meyers was surprisingly shifted to wide receiver, which he embraced.
“I will always love being a quarterback, but at the end of the day, I love playing more than watching,” Meyers said. “I don’t care where I’m at. I could kick, and I’d want to play over watching.”
Meyers showed flashes of what he could achieve at wide receiver, snagging 13 passes for 158 yards with a long catch of 32 yards. Meyers accepted that his quarterback days were over at NC State, and he has changed his body — now at 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds — and is even rocking the No. 11 jersey. After years of not being settled in, Meyers is embracing his new spot.
“I wouldn’t say it is better or worse but I’m enjoying the whole process,” Meyers said. “I’m actually committed to trying something new. It motivates me to work harder every day so I can catch up to [wide receivers] Steph [Louis] and Kelvin [Harmon], and everybody else.”
Quarterbacks usually only switch positions as a last resort. NC State has had a few signal callers get moved, including redshirt freshman teammate Dylan Parham, who is now a tight end. Marcus Stone also successfully transitioned to tight end in 2007. Transferring to a new college could have been another option, but Meyers shot down that avenue.
“I love it here,” Meyers said. “They are my brothers. The receivers, quarterbacks and even the defense, they are my brothers. I wouldn’t leave them for nothing.”
Meyers’ knowledge of reading defenses and what the quarterback is thinking helped aid his move to receiver.
“Especially at slot receiver, you have to find little holes [in the defense],” Meyers said. “With the reads, I know when to be there at a certain speed and when to tempo it down or hurry up and get there.”
Meyers said he didn’t want to get too muscular in the upper body when he played quarterback, but has now embraced all facets of the weight room.
“I’ve put on more weight and have been working to get in shape, which I’m still working on,” Meyers said. “I am way more committed. I can do this thing.
“I know that I have to block and take contact and be fast. Something just switched in my mind to work hard in the weight room.”
Meyers has also tried hard to not be that wide receiver who always tells the quarterback he is open. He said former teammate Freddie Simmons was the king of always being open, no matter what, at least in his mind. He’d say “I don’t care if he is on me, but just throw me the ball.” Meyers does understand how a receiver can have that aggressive mindset.
“I know as the quarterback, you have to be the leader and you never want to disrespect the leader,” Meyers said. “I might say something when we walk back to the locker room like, ‘You missed me here or you have to get your eyes up.’ I would never do that in front of everyone else.
“Now, I feel like I am always open. It might not be true now, but I always feel like I’m open.”
Fellow slot receiver Gavin Locklear got to throw three passes and H-back Jaylen Samuels had his memorable 59-yard touchdown pass against North Carolina. One team did repeatedly call out Meyers’ throwing background when he was playing wide receiver.
“The Wake Forest game might have been the one time, otherwise no one really noticed,” Meyers said. “I heard ‘He was a quarterback’ a couple of times.”
Meyers would love to start against South Carolina in the season opener, but know what is needed to make that happen.
"I need consistency," Meyers said. "I can't come out one day and be great or be good, but then come out the next day and feel like I don't belong."
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