After receiving his degree and being granted a sixth year of eligibility, graduated senior safety Jarvis Byrd looks to make his mark on NC State’s football season.

Byrd began his career with the Wolfpack as a cornerback, starting in three games his freshman year before suffering a torn ACL. Byrd redshirted his sophomore year to rehab his injury and then returned only to suffer the same injury. He began the rehab process all over again only to tear his ACL again in his senior year. Since the time Byrd suffered his first knee injury, a lot has changed. His number, his position and the way he views life and the game are all different in his sixth year on campus.

“Honestly, I believe the injuries have helped me more as a person than as a football player,” Byrd said. “As far as in life it taught me to keep fighting, everything isn’t going to go your way in life so no matter what happens you have to keep fighting.”

Byrd has not let the adversity he has faced tear him down; instead, he has used it to his advantage. He has used his experiences on and off the field to gain the respect of his teammates and become a leader in his final year. Byrd embraces the fact that he is now the guy that his teammates look up to, and he is glad he can be the one to provide the answers.

“It feels good; it feels like I am the captain in charge,” Byrd said. “A lot of the guys come to me and look to me for advice.”

Although Byrd has been at State longer than any other player or coach on the roster, he is still enjoying the learning process that comes along with new people, new coaches and new seasons. His struggles with injuries have taught him invaluable lessons in the past, and he hopes to use that knowledge on the field this year and in his everyday life.

“Every year you learn something,” Byrd said. “I’ve learned you have to be patient, you have to persevere, and you have to never give up.”

Byrd is tied for the team lead in pass breakups through the first two games and is a key member to the secondary, which holds the team leader in tackles in junior safety Hakim Jones. The defense seems to embody Byrd’s motto of “keep fighting,” as they tend to start slow but finish strong in the second half and hold opposing offenses when it matters most. This is the key quality in a defense that Byrd believes will improve in the near future.

“We have performed very badly [in the last two games],” said Byrd. “We start off slow but we end up finishing strong in the second half, and we make the plays we need to make when the game is on the line. We are going to improve.”

Byrd has enjoyed his time as a college football player and the time that he has been a leader so much he has plans for it to continue even after his time as a player. He intends on going into coaching when his career ends to teach what he has learned in his time at State to other college players.

 “I’ve gotten to know the game inside and out so I feel like I can be a great mentor,” Byrd said.

Regardless of future plans, State fans only have one more year to watch the talent of Jarvis Byrd in the red and white. He has shown toughness and determination throughout his career and hopes that it will all pay off in his final year as a member of the Wolfpack. Byrd described his time at NC State in a way that many would describe his story.

“Unbelievable.”