RALEIGH, N.C. - Jonathan Paylor’s 51-yard burst against Richmond was the kind of snap NC State had been waiting on for a long time.
It lasted only a few seconds, but it showed the speed that made him such a prized recruit in the first place. On an outside power-read, Paylor got to the edge and ripped off a 51-yard run to the Richmond 3-yard line.
He didn’t score, and in a 73-0 win it didn’t alter the outcome. Still, it was the kind of flash that hinted at what he can add if that burst is really back.
Paylor called it “a pay day.”
“It was sort of like a pay day,” Paylor said of the explosive run. “It's like one of those things where you work every single day just to get the same result.
When it finally breaks, it's like 'Ahhhh, finally!' But it was great to break one, for sure.”
The carry came two years after Paylor arrived in Raleigh as one of the biggest names in Dave Doeren’s recruiting haul. He came in as a consensus four-star with elite track credentials, a verified 4.4 and state titles in the 100, 200 and 400.
NC State beat out Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State for his commitment. But Wolfpack fans haven’t gotten much of a look at him.
He redshirted as a freshman with just one carry for three yards, then a torn ACL in a fall-camp scrimmage wiped out his entire 2025 season just as momentum was building again in the summer.
That’s why the run against Richmond mattered so much to Paylor and to the staff.
"I'm happy for Jonathan. It's been a long time for him to get those moments," Doeren said afterward.
"As you return from an injury like an ACL, getting your live work and having success and running through people - that's a big confidence thing for him. It's huge for the team."
For Paylor, the recovery has been about relentless work and not letting the setback turn into something bigger. He didn’t dress it up.
“getting injured, nobody's really dreamed of anything like that”
“I came in every day and treated the training room like the Super Bowl,” he said. “How much stronger can I get, how much faster can I get. It was my Super Bowl.”
When asked whether doubt ever crept in, he didn’t leave any room for interpretation.
“Nah. If you think like that, you'll never come back.”
There’s still an important reality in NC State’s backfield: this is Duke Scott’s job. One long run doesn’t change that.
Paylor is still shaking off rust after two years away, and he’s learning the details that come with moving from receiver to running back - “different rules, different things to follow, learning protections,” as he described it. The Richmond game was a glimpse, not a verdict.
But it was a useful glimpse. If Paylor can keep building on it, NC State gets something extra behind Scott: a change-of-pace option, a return threat, and pure speed that can change the feel of a drive in a hurry.
The next two games will tell more. Vanderbilt and App State are up next, a clear step up from the opponent State handled by 10 touchdowns. For Paylor, the task is simple now: keep stacking days and keep inching back toward the ceiling that made him a four-star in the first place.
For the first time in two years, that ceiling is visible again. And if he gets there, NC State’s backfield could become a problem for defenses.
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For Sensabaugh, the timing turns a routine nonconference road game into something closer to a homecoming, and it gives NC State another player worth watching as it heads into a rare setting. The Wolfpack will be trying to handle the business on the field, but for Sensabaugh, the personal stakes are obvious, and the chance to take part in this one has clearly meant a lot along the way. [Read more 🡒]