‘He’s special’: Why the offseason buzz around NC State RB Duke Scott is real headed into fall camp

By Noah Fleischman

NC State didn’t panic when second-string running back Kendrick Raphael entered the transfer portal — and eventually landed at Cal — after the spring practice slate in April. The program didn’t rush to find a veteran replacement on the market; instead, it decided to lean on a young back already on campus. 

Enter redshirt freshman Duke Scott. 

The former four-star recruit in the 2024 cycle was a player that the Wolfpack had high expectations for as he began his college career. During NC State coach Dave Doeren’s 2024 signing day press conference, he quipped that Scott, with the Pack’s running back room plagued by injuries, would have played a key role in 2023 if he was one year older. 

Although he appeared in just one game to redshirt his first collegiate season, Scott continued to impress the coaching staff with his work ethic. He was on the developmental squad last season, but he did earn his way onto the Wolfpack travel roster for his entire freshman year. 

Now, as NC State prepares for the 2025 season, Scott’s name is buzzing around the Murphy Center. No matter who was talking about the upcoming season, Scott was the player that continued to pop up on the radar. 

“Just put it like this: Duke, he’s special,” NC State Director of Strength and Conditioning Dantonio Burnette told TheWolfpacker.com. “There’s no doubt in my mind that everyone on the team believes he’s going to be a guy that helps open up the playbook and run game. Him and Hollywood Smothers in the backfield together, it’s going to be very impressive.”

Scott turned heads in the weight room this summer. He attacked Burnette’s plan for his offseason, which was formulated with the idea that Scott would be the Wolfpack’s No. 2 running back to pair with Smothers, one of the most-explosive playmakers on the roster. 

And, well, he did more than just check the boxes. Scott was among the team’s highest-performing players in its end-of-summer testing circuit.

The 5-10, 205-pound Stockbridge, Ga., native led the team with a 375-pound max power clean, while he had the second-fastest 40-yard dash time at 4.35. He also logged a max squat of 550 pounds, the fourth-best of anyone this summer, while Scott also posted a max bench of 335 and a vertical jump of 37.4 inches. 

Sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey, who got to know Scott as members of the same recruiting class, couldn’t believe what he witnessed in the weight room this summer.

“Duke is a tank. It’s crazy,” Bailey said. “His squat and bench are insane. He’s going to get a chance to play. He’s like a bowling ball. When I give him the ball, he’s going to go downhill]. I can’t wait for everybody to see Duke Scott, he’s a really good player.”

Bailey didn’t stop there. He also described Scott as a “guy that’s going to run through somebody,” which is likely what the signal-caller wants to see this fall. 

Scott, the nation’s No. 20 running back in the 2024 cycle, has a track record of running downhill through defenses at a high level. The former Georgia first-team All-State selection logged 2,482 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns on 237 attempts as a senior, while he finished his high school campaign with more than 4,500 rushing yards and 66 scores. 

Although he logged just three carries for four yards in his lone appearance during the 59-28 win over Stanford last season, Scott has created excitement from more than his impressive weight-room performance. He also stood out on the practice field this past spring, which likely played a role in Raphael’s departure. Scott was on his heels to become the team’s No. 2 back for the upcoming campaign. 

Senior tight end Justin Joly was quick to rave about Scott.

“Fans going to love that man,” Joly said. “That boy is a player. He lifts, he’s fast, he understands the vision, he’s got hands. Between him and Hollywood, you are going to see what he’s really about this season.”

NC State believes his durable, tough frame will be more than ready for a significant workload behind Smothers, who emerged as the starter in the last six games a year ago.

Smothers, a former Oklahoma transfer, posted 571 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 89 carries, and forced 34 missed tackles a year ago. Scott, meanwhile, is the bruiser that isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder to clear defenders out of his way right up the middle. 

“I think he understands where he is now, the situation he’s in and how important it is that he gets ready,” offensive coordinator Kurt Roper said of Scott. “He’s really tough. He runs with great pad leverage. He finishes runs. He has good ball skills. He’s a really good football player that knows we’re counting on him now.”