The 2023 ITG Next Georgia Male Athlete of the Month, presented by Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance, is Stockbridge High running back Jayden “Duke” Scott, a senior who wrapped up the final year of a great career by helping the Tigers reach the Class 4A state championship game. Scott was a major reason Stockbridge rallied from a 5-5 season in which it missed the playoffs two years ago, winning 14 straight region games and back-to-back titles over the next two seasons, and coming within one game of winning a state crown this year.
Though he missed eight games each in his sophomore and junior seasons due to injury, Scott still put up career stats that rivaled those of a full-time player. “Duke,” as his teammates and coaches call him, managed to rush for 3,483 yards in just 24 games over his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons. That’s an average of 176 yards rushing per game.
“He’s a special player and is very deserving of this award from ITG Next,” said Stockbridge head coach Thomas Clark, who has done a remarkable job of leading his program since taking over three seasons ago. Clark talked about how Scott has been able to bounce back from two serious injuries to become one of the state’s elite running backs.
“Jayden broke a bone on his toe during his sophomore season and missed eight games,” Clark said, “Then, after getting healthy and rejoining the team, he was injured in a padded camp just prior to the start of the season, and he missed eight weeks last year, too.”
Scott was able to rejoin the team in Week 9 of the 2022 season, and with the Tigers making the playoffs and advancing to the quarterfinals, Duke was able to play in a handful of games.
“He played in about four-and-a-half games,” said Clark. “He was still able to rush for 600 yards and 12 touchdowns despite missing all that time.”
This season a healthy Scott rushed for 2,482 yards and Stockbridge finished sixth in our final Classes 4A-7A rankings after falling to Perry in the state title game. Scott’s rushing total was good enough for second place overall in the state, just 6 yards behind the leader, Fred Brown of Coffee High. Brown’s yards came on 358 carries, while, as Clark pointed out, Duke was able to accomplish his feat on 121 fewer attempts.
As good as Scott is on the football field, he possesses a particular set of skills off the field, too. According to his coach, Scott began building computers at an early age, and it’s a field he wants to stick with.
“Jayden is a high academic student, and he takes AP Honor classes,” Clark said.
Jayden, who is the son of Robbie and Jillian Scott, has received between “30 and 35 Division 1 offers,” according to his coach, but the standout back has committed to NC State.
“They have an outstanding computer programming program that he is interested in, so Jayden will graduate early and head up there,” said Clark.
