The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545830
JULY/AUGUST 2026 ■ 27 ❱ ❱ ❱ RUNNING BACKS PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP TALENTED TANDEM LEADS THE BACKFIELD BY DAVID ALLEN A season ago, one of the central questions facing NC State's offense was how Hollywood Smothers would replace the pro- duction of Jordan Waters and Kendrick Raphael. Now, with the first-team All-ACC performer having transferred to Texas, the Wolfpack faces a similar dilemma. Smothers' exit has thrust Jayden "Duke" Scott into a starting role. The junior made the most of his opportunities last season playing behind Smothers, rushing for 581 yards and 4 touch- downs. In the three games in which Scott had 10 or more carries, he racked up 379 rushing yards, with an average of 7.2 yards per attempt. Even when he wasn't pacing the backfield, the 5-foot-10, 225-pound Scott was efficient with his touches. His full-season average of 5.5 yards per carry was fifth best in the ACC among players with more than 100 rushing attempts. Head coach Dave Doeren said the next step for Scott is to become a leader in the Wolfpack's locker room. "The challenge I've given to Duke is to take his voice to another level with his teammates," Do- eren said, "and to be able to utilize the platform he's created with his work ethic, with his tal- ent and with his production on the field." That challenge was accepted by Scott this offseason. He will wear the No. 1 jersey in 2026, an honor the coaching staff bestows on the player "who exhibits an elite work ethic … while also serving as an exemplary leader." Doeren went into the transfer portal to find a dynamic option to complement Scott in the back- field, landing Davion Gause from archrival North Carolina. The 5-11, 212-pound junior was part of the Tar Heels' running back committee for two seasons, amassing 585 yards and 7 touchdowns. Gause was a high school teammate of junior quar- terback CJ Bailey and can serve as a receiving threat, too, having caught 20 passes for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns at UNC. Behind Scott and Gause, the Pack has a high-upside option in junior Jonathan Paylor. NC State used Paylor as a wide receiver his freshman year, then moved him to the backfield last summer before a knee injury ended his sophomore campaign before it began. He'll be back in action this year and is set to resume his career at running back. "The ball-carrier part of his game was why we moved him to running back," Doeren said. "Just watching him as a receiver and watch- ing him as a running back, he's a lot more explosive at running back. He can run. You get him on a wheel route or a vertical route on a linebacker and you've got a nice mis- match there." SPOTLIGHT PLAYER JUNIOR DAVION GAUSE Dave Doeren wants junior quarterback CJ Bailey to be as comfortable as pos- sible under center, and the arrival of Gause should help. Gause and Bailey go way back. They share high school football roots from their days growing up in South Florida. As seniors at Chaminade-Madonna in Hollywood, Fla., the pair were a key part in an undefeated, state championship-winning season. Gause, a Rivals four-star prospect, showed flashes during his time at North Carolina, ranking as the team's third-leading rusher last year with 259 yards. PROJECTED DEPTH CHART STARTER No. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. Hometown 1 Jayden "Duke" Scott Jr. 5-10 225 Stockbridge, Ga. BACKUPS 7 Davion Gause Jr. 5-11 212 Opa-Locka, Fla. 20 Deandre Desinor So. 5-10 183 Delray Beach, Fla. 14 Jonathan Paylor Jr. 5-9 182 Burlington, N.C. WAITING IN THE WINGS 29 RJ Boyd Fr. 5-10 215 Waycross, Ga. 25 Darius Johnson Sr. 5-10 205 Hendersonville, Tenn. 26 Isiah Jones Jr. 5-8 200 Rolesville, N.C. 24 Dylan McCoy Fr. 5-8 197 Grayson, Ga. 34 Noah Moss Fr. 6-0 200 Daphne, Ala. ■ POSITIONAL GRADES ★★★★ Among country's best; ★★★ Among ACC's best; ★★ Solid or has potential; ★ Too unproven STARTER ★★★ Much like Hollywood Smothers in 2024, Duke Scott's breakout at the end of the 2025 season should give the Wolfpack confidence that the junior can handle an increased workload and lead the ground attack. EXPERIENCE ★★ Aside from Scott and Davion Gause, the only running backs on the roster who have carried the ball at the collegiate level are Darius Johnson and Jonathan Paylor. Between them, Johnson and Paylor have 4 career rushing attempts. DEPTH ★★★ If he's healthy, the speedy Paylor can serve as a fresh option behind the 1-2 punch of Scott and Gause. He has the potential to bring another dimension to the Wolfpack backfield. OVERALL GRADE ★★★ If Scott proves he can maintain his efficiency with an increased workload, and if Gause steps in as an effective change-of-pace option, the Wolfpack running game has the potential to take a step forward in 2026, even with Smothers no longer in the picture. BY THE NUMBERS 207 All-purpose yards by Duke Scott in the Wolf- pack's 48-36 victory over No. 8 Georgia Tech last November. 76 Touchdowns scored by three-star freshman Noah Moss during his career at St. Michael Catholic in Fairhope, Ala., including 37 his senior season alone. 14.1 Jonathan Paylor's average yards per at- tempt as a senior at Cummings High in Burlington, N.C., his last full season of action. DUKE SCOTT