Senior Spotlight: Jaylen Samuels

RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State senior Jaylen Samuels has built a reputation of moving around a lot on the field, lining up at tight end, running back and wide receiver throughout his time with the Wolfpack. In fact if you flip through the 2017 NC State media guide you will notice a new position listed, 'H', and it just happens Samuels is the only one list for the newly created spot.

What many don't know is that change has been a constant part of Samuels life off the field also.

Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Samuels and his family moved to Charlotte while he was a baby. Given the young age he and his family moved, his memories of Baton Rouge are scarce.

Samuels' father, Greg, was in the military, and has worked in telecommunications industry for the past twenty years. His mom, Sherrie, helped his dad out at work, as the couple raised Samuels and his two older brothers, Brent and Brandon. Samuels grew up in Charlotte and has some extended family members there, but the vast majority of them reside in Columbia, South Carolina.

While Samuels natural ability on the football field is obvious, it was the game of basketball that was first love.

"I was six or seven when I started, my dad had my brothers and I playing football ever since we were young" he said. "It was always between football and basketball, trying to choose between which sport we would play was always going to be a hard decision. I was always more of a basketball player growing up, always wanted to play basketball. Every time my mom told me football practice was coming up, I'd start crying. I didn't want to play, but eventually I started enjoying it more."

These days, it is opponents who are left in tears after Samuels runs over or around them.

In an alternate universe, it is easy to picture Samuels excelling on the basketball court and starting at point guard for NC State, especially given the fact he almost played for Chris Paul's AAU team, Team CP3. With the team being based out of Winston Salem and Samuels living in Charlotte, the travel was what prevented him from joining the team.

Basketball's loss was football's gain, and his accolades on offense for NC State are well-documented. However, it was actually on defense that Samuels first really made a name for himself on the football field, and is easy to imagine him thriving on the other side of the ball given his incredible mixture of strength and speed. After playing as a receiver his freshman year of high school, he was moved to safety his sophomore year. He had multiple picks that season, and the allure of seeing him carry the ball proved too much for the coaches, so they moved him back to offense.

"It's just how things worked out" he explained. "I ended up having to play all these different positions, it's not that I was playing one position and somebody got hurt, and they said I needed to go play their position. It wasn't like that. That's how it was starting from when I was younger, I'd play quarterback, receiver, running back. I loved scoring touchdowns and that's how I found myself in the position I'm in right now."

Weighing in at 228 pounds, his sheer strength is too overwhelming for most defensive backs to handle, while his speed and quickness off the mark made him difficult for bigger defensive players to track down

Given the tremendous success Samuels has had, it would be easy for him allow it to go to his head. However, this is not the case, as he is quick to deflect praise to the coaching staff and the experience he's had at NC State.

"Being at NC State helped a lot, we have a lot of great coaches and there are a lot of great people in this building (The Wendell H. Murphy Football Center at Carter-Finely Stadium) who are here for us" he articulated. "Being here for my fourth year, they've really changed me on and off the field, as a man. Coach Thunder (Dantonio Burnette, Director of Strength & Conditioning) has really pushed me in the weight room, Coach Faulkner (Tight Ends/Fullbacks/Special Teams Coor.) pushed me. He's taught me about football but also about life, how to be a man, how to raise a family once I get to that point. All the lessons I've learned since getting here have really helped me."

Samuels also holds the unique distinction of having a position created for him by the ACC for their All-Conference ballot this season; All-Purpose Back. Again, after receiving the honor he has remained humble and hungry, feeling it raised the bar of what's expected of him.

"It was crazy, when I first saw it, I didn't know what it was" he said. "People from the school kept saying they wanted to get my name out there a little more, market me a bit more. For me to see they actually created a position for me was pretty exciting. I still have to keep working so I can be in that same position at the end of the season."

Samuels's versatility doesn't end on the football field, as he is also the self-proclaimed best on the team at several different video games. His talents range from NBA 2K and Madden, to the GTA series.

Naming Mike Stevens and Jalan McClendon as his best friends on the team, the smoothness Samuels shows on the field also exudes off of it.

"Off the field, Jaylen is really similar to how he is on the field, smooth" explained McClendon. "Besides that he's funny, and a laid back, chill guy."

McClendon correctly notes that Samuels is laid back, but one of the things that excites him has been the opportunity to play in Bank of America Stadium, in his hometown of Charlotte, at least twice in his Wolfpack career.

"It's special to me because my family and friends can come see me play" he explained. "(Earlier this year) was my second time being able to play in Bank of America Stadium. I hope to play in Charlotte two times this year, our first game of the season and the ACC Championship Game."

After his breakout sophomore season, Samuels got to play in Bank of America Stadium when NC State faced Mississippi State in the 2015 Belk Bowl. In that game, Samuels scored a pair of rushing TDs and finished with 53 yards on the ground.

Samuels and the Wolfpack returned to Bank of America to start his senior campaign back in August, facing South Carolina. Samuels once again had a strong game, leading the Pack with 15 catches for 85 yards and also a TD. The 15 receptions tied Torry Holt's school record for the most in a single game.

A local product, Samuels was an in-state priority for head coach Dave Doeren when he became the Pack's coach after the 2012 season.

"We just knew he was a great football player," said Doeren. "We were just all high-fiving (after his commitment). We knew we had something special"

The feeling of having a special football player has only gotten stronger during Samuels career, and is being capped off with a headline-making senior campaign.

NC State was well represented on the midseason All-America lists, with Samuels, DE Bradley Chubb and RB Nyheim Hines all finding their names honored. Samuels has received accolades as an all-purpose back and tight end by six different national publications.

"The epitome of Samuels to me, and to me it's the ultimate compliment, the guys is a football player," said Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher prior to the Wolfpack's win at FSU back in September. "He can do anything.

"To do the things that Samuels does, there's not only great physical skills there. There's great mental skills, great intelligence to be able play the different positions, understand how to play them and play them so effectively."

Samuels currently leads the Wolfpack in receiving – just has he has done each of the past two seasons. No Wolfpack player has led NC State in receptions three straight years since Eddie Goines from 1993-95.

That span includes former NFL players Torry Holt, Koren Robinson, Jerricho Cotchery, and T.J. Graham among others.

He is also on track to break or come close to breaking several career records at NC State.

With a team-best 12 touchdowns this season (eight rushing and four receiving), Samuels now boasts 43 career TDs – the second-best mark in school history. He is nine away from breaking the record set by Hall of Famer Ted Brown from 1975-78.

With 16 more catches, Samuels would break Jerricho Cotchery's all-time receptions record of 200, and with a catch in each of his next three games he would set the school mark for more consecutive games with a catch as well (39). He currently ranks fifth in the FBS with 37 consecutive games with a reception, and the last time he did not have a catch was as a freshman back in 2014.

"We're moving in the right direction," said Samuels after a recent Wolfpack win. "We're not done yet... we'll keep doing what we're doing and keep preparing like we have been week-to-week."

Players Mentioned

Bradley Chubb

Nyheim Hines

Jalan McClendon

Jaylen Samuels

Mike Stevens

Related Videos