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After bursting onto the Alamance County football scene as a freshman in the spring, Jonathan Paylor’s ascent has now led to his emergence on the national level.
“Overall, I just keep my head straight just to maintain my play,” Paylor said shortly before the season when discussing the plethora of attention he’s receiving. “I really try not to get into all the media stuff, just to really focus on football and ultimately help my team out.”
Cummings sophomore Jonathan Paylor participates in warm-ups ahead of Friday night's game against Williams.
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Paylor set the tone immediately when on the game’s first play from scrimmage, he eluded several would-be tacklers with his strength, then reversed field and used his speed to bolt away for a 55-yard rushing score.
Scholarship opportunities began popping up for Paylor after his freshman year, with nearby Elon being the first Division I program to offer him. Now those offers are pouring in, with 2019 national champion LSU being the most recent, offering him a scholarship earlier this week, joining an impressive list of suitors that includes: Duke, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Penn State, Purdue and Virginia Tech.
As a freshman during the spring season, Paylor piled up 16 touchdowns and nearly 1,300 yards from scrimmage in seven games. He finished the season as the team's leading receiver (36 catches for 851 yards) and leading rusher (60 carries for 438 yards).
Offensive lineman Will Richardson was previously the most recent Cummings player to garner a 4-star rating from 247Sports. Richardson was listed as the 11th-ranked player in the state and No. 26 offensive tackle in the country from the 2014 recruiting class by 247Sports.
Richardson moved on to become a three-year starter at center and guard at N.C. State before being drafted in the fourth round (129th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Richardson is entering his fourth season with the Jaguars and played in all of Jacksonville’s 16 games during the 2020 season.
David Kehrli is a sports reporter at the Burlington Times-News and USA Today Network. You can reach him at david.kehrli@thetimesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidKehrliTN. Subscribe to the Burlington Times-News here.
