Scotland’s Jones, Shaw sign to play NCAA Div. II football

LAURINBURG — Running back Zay Jones and defensive lineman Zyquarius Shaw didn’t make an immediate impact for Scotland football. But as upperclassmen, they were must-have players on the field Friday nights — enough so that NCAA Division II schools saw it, too.

Jones signed with Winston-Salem State University and Shaw signed with Barton College to continue their football and academic careers during a ceremony held at Scotland Friday afternoon.

”He’s meant a bunch,” Scotland football coach Richard Bailey said on Jones. “He’s worked hard in the weight room, worked hard in the classroom. And Winston-Salem State is really getting a steal because I really feel like in a normal year ten years ago, he’s probably playing in the ACC or East Carolina or somewhere like that. Never apologize for playing college football and getting your education paid for. So, I’m extremely happy for him and his family.

“I see a lot of the same qualities I saw in Zamir White where he don’t let the outside noise mess with him,” Bailey said on Shaw. “He keeps his mouth shut, works hard, keeps his head down; (says) yes, sir, no, sir. … He focuses on what’s important to him, and he wanted to play college football. And he made it happen. And Barton’s getting a great football player, but they’re getting an even better person. He’s a tremendous young man.”

Jones ran for 2,680 yards and 42 touchdowns this past year, breaking the single-season rushing and TD records at Scotland; those records were previously held by Zamir White, who ran for 2,159 yards and 41 TDs in his sophomore season of high school in 2015.

Jones also played in the East-West All-Star football game on Dec. 17, rushing the ball eight times for 38 yards, was a top-three finalist for “Mr. Football,” an award presented by The Charlotte Observer and News & Observer newspapers to North Carolina’s best high school player and was the Sandhills Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2023.

Jones didn’t break out until late in his junior season, though, running for 1,001 yards and 13 TDs in the final four games.

“It was a bumpy road, for real,” Jones said. “Sometimes we had some ups; we had some downs. It taught me how to be more of a young man that I’m going to be. But I have to say, for me, I’m truly blessed to be in one of these positions where I can pursue a dream that I had as a kid.”

While he held other offers from Barton, Chowan and a preferred walk-on spot with North Carolina, Jones chose Winston-Salem State because he felt like a true student-athlete on his visit.

”It was mostly on being in a school environment,” Jones said. “When we went on a visit, that made me feel like I was actually a student. It was mostly like I felt like I belonged. And then, with the coaching staff, as well, it reminded me of my childhood coaching staff that really drove me to this point. So, I felt like it’ll push me to be even better.”

In his sophomore and junior seasons, Shaw had just 33 combined tackles, two sacks and four tackles for loss but surpassed all those numbers in his senior year with 54 tackles, four sacks and seven tackles for loss.

Shaw was selected to the 2023 All-SAC team as a result of his uptick in production.

“It’s been a dream,” Shaw said. “Ever since I was little, I always wanted to play for Coach Bailey, Scotland High School. I enjoyed my high school career here playing football.”

Shaw had another offer from Furman but picked Barton because of “everything about it.”

“The vibes there,” Shaw said. “I like the campus. I like the coaches.”

Jones and Shaw become the second and third Scotland football players to sign to play college football this year; offensive lineman Jake Clemmons signed with Elon University on Feb. 5.