Jaylen Samuels: From 3 Stars to All-American

NC State H-Back Jaylen Samuels has become a national sensation. He was a AP Preseason All-American team, and was recently named to the AP Midseason All-American team.

But that wasn’t always the case.

When Samuels committed to NC State, he was a 3-star recruit that analysts couldn’t quite nail down. Was he a Fullback? If so, he was the #7 Fullback in the nation. Some just described him as an “athlete.” ESPN ranked him as the 100th best athlete in his recruiting class. Rivals ranked him as the #20 player in the state of North Carolina, and ESPN ranked him 40th.

Samuels ended up choosing NC State over competing offers from the likes of Georgia State, Ball State and UNC Charlotte.

I’m not sure what other high major schools were thinking, because as a Senior at Mallard Creek (Charlotte, NC) Samuels scored a touchdown every 2.8 times he touched the ball – 59 total. Rushed 109 times for 1,404 yards and a 12.9 yards/carry average and 39 TDs. Also had 49 catches for 932 yards and 16 more scores.

He also earned All-State honors and was Mr. 4A Football by NCPreps.com.

Dude had a nose for the endzone. Sound familiar?

Sometimes you recruit the 5-star recruit that pans out. Sometimes you find a diamond in the rough. Sometimes you develop a good player into a great player.

All I know, is I’m glad Dave Doeren found Jaylen Samuels

Check out Samuels’ highlights from his Senior year at Mallard Creek.