play something that kind of was missing know consistently for this team in recent years how do you feel you translate with what you did in Co and what you did at Porter Ridge right sir yeah how does that translate for you I think just uh just me being myself playing the same style football that that I've played that that's got me to this point and um I think I just have to continue to grow continue to to to enjoy the process and the day-to-day grind and the preparation week to week that um that that led me to a lot of success in my career um just go out there and being myself and not not second guess and just letting it rip and having fun shortly after you committed the expectation level SE stage increased yeah is there some added pressure with that or welcome it I mean you're just one guy but it really did change yeah I mean I I I mean I love it I think the expectation in in Raleigh is to win and to win the league and um it's something they've been so close to doing the past couple years and um I think it was just accumulation of me and the other guys they were able to acquire and the transfer portal was just exciting it's an exciting time in Raleigh obviously with the the men to women's basketball team and uh baseball Going On The Run and um things like that it's just a lot of Buzz and Raleigh and people are excited we have an unbelievable fan base and um a lot of support so um the people love football and I think they're ready to to see a championship in Raleigh you put your name how quickly did the offers come what interests come for you yeah um my phone was ringing before I walked out of the compliance office um so that was a little stressful um but it it it's good to feel wanted you know to to to know that that people believe in me and to give me the opportunity to play at some prestigious schools such as in state is um it's a great feeling something that I I knew I always had in me um and was able to play some good ball and put myself in that position so um definitely a whirlwind of an experience in the train for portal but um you know grateful that it's over and grateful to be in such a great spot at NC build that relation yeah man it's awesome Casey another Charlotte guy obviously so so some things like that a lot of local guys a lot of instate guys but it's been awesome man I mean I have nothing but Playmakers around me um you turn on the tape from last year and you see that and then all the guys that we've at it I mean it's exciting so it makes my job a whole lot easier uh I just got to distribute the ball to the fast guys uh at the right time um so love working with Casey he's going to have another great year and just all the guys around me have been great defense with some good offense this year kind of have you and other offensive guys kind of approach that this off season and how you guys plan on dealing with that during during this year yeah I think uh it started in the spring and with iron sharping iron it's something that coach talks about all the time and um there's always been strong defense in Raleigh and um just just competing against those guys every day and making each other better the the comp ition level is extremely high every day and um we know there's a lot of expectation on the offensive side of the ball and um we've been working extremely hard to to be able to execute at the highest level possible so um really excited to get going and to be to be really excited so gra so Grace I know you're new to the ACC conference what do you know about the UNCC NC State rivalry you know man not too much um I know it's a lot of good football games uh was able to go to the the UNC NC State basketball games that was cool uh y'all got us in that one obviously but uh but yeah man excited for it uh we get to come to you guys this year so looking forward to it and good to see you brother Myrtle Beach guy right here Myrtle Beach I know you and Coach both talked about winning the ACC uh in the first year of the 12 team playoff how much excitement is there from a player level that you don't have to get into the top four to get into that thing and it's going to open the door for a lot more teams yeah I mean I think it's exciting for a lot of programs um you know smaller schools these G5 schools that go and and have these crazy runs you know it was the the coastal in 2020 and you know it was the Liberty team last year that was able to go um it's just it's there's so much room for opportunity you go in hand with your business in your league and uh you get an unbelievable opportunity to do something that's you know really never been done before that that's been able to be done before so um it's definitely exciting we know that it's still a week toe process and something that we can't just solely focus on but um at the end of the day we know if we take care of our business take care of the league that we have unbel um I mean I do I think you kind of have to right it's it's a prestigious league and um a lot of really good football teams but um for me it's just I'm I'm the same guy you know I've gotten better in terms of my mental and my body and just as a quarterback in general but um it's going to be the same guy out there playing you know a lot of energy uh chip on my shoulder toughness grit just um out they having a lot of fun doing what I love and um being a great teammate at the end of the day want to be a great teammate and um you know bring all those guys along with me and try to make them as best as they possibly can sir you said chip on your shoulder yeah just I think it's just kind of been my blueprint growing up you know coming out of high school won a lot of football games put a lot of really good stuff on tape and had you know four four offers coming out and then um you know get the opportunity to go play Coast to Carolina um have three really good years put you know play a lot of really good football win a lot of big football games and just kind of still flying under the radar you know just um just kind of still feel a little disrespected like I like I don't um exactly get the respect that I deserve um you know that's why I'm here I'm I'm here at NC State to prove that and um to be the best quarterback and the best leader that this team needs so um just just kind of always been my Mantra and my style of play to to have that chip in my you feel like the mullet is a source of power I do I do yeah I think so I uh whenever I showed up in Raleigh and I didn't have the mullet guys were a little confused so uh got a lot of mullet requests so I guess we're going to let it fly one more time how much longer will it get it's going to get long I'm going to let it go so here in about a month or so it it'll be pretty long but yeah I'm going to let it go I'm all in barer shop downstairs I'm thinking maybe maybe I get one let's go yeah we I'll go down there when we get okay are you and dson doing it together well one day oh yeah yeah I'm uh I think I've got Zeke in now Z Kell uh he's got his growing out so we just got to shape up the sides and hopefully he'll be in with you too what do you think of all the weapons that they've uh they've assembled around you it's exciting man um a lot of a lot of really good football players a lot of fast guys that um you get the ball in their hands they can do special things and uh makes the job of the quarterback much easier you know what uh what did you know about KC conceptum before you got tenc State and what are your impressions of them now that you're there you can throw the ball to them yeah like I said uh Charlotte guy grew up in area so knew the name coming obviously was a a really highly recruited guy that that played a lot of really good football in high school um you watch the kid play I mean he's electric I mean you guys saw it last year for the first time being such a young guy and um doing what he was able to do is impressive and just um you get there and you work with him and his you know his football IQ and his spatial awareness and the kid just understands how to get open you can tell he wants the ball and um you put the ball in his hands and good things happen so love KC and love working with him what specifically about Dave DOR yeah I think it was important for me in the process to find a program that um had a standard you know set in stone and a coach that um has some stability that's been there for a long time and obviously coach Doran going into year 12 now I believe um the program and and the standard set and um having a coach like that to lean on a guy that knows the area and um knows the university like the back of his hand is important for me so um I I I love coach Dorne and love his coaching style and how he goes about his business so what about the what about the differences in scheme from Coastal uh heading into inst State yeah I mean obviously different um looking forward to it obviously got to be in a new system last year um and do some different things but um I think I fit great into the system the spring was great um learned a lot and was able to to you know play smoothly um in that system so I think what they're able to do with me in the system is going to be special you think about your time Coastal what do you think of the years you spent there unbelievable memories man um you know kind of like I said one of those schools that that took a chance on me and um you know whenever I got there it was 5 and seven 5 and seven and then um you know we come on the scene in 2020 and have an unbelievable year and just kind of you know kind of change the program around and um that place is special to me it always will be um and I really really enjoyed my time there never really wanted to leave but at the end of the day I had to make a decision that was best for me but um love Coastal Carolina love that place and um yeah men you mentioned 2020 how frustrating was it to you and your teammates to not even really be considered for the playoff and now that it is at 12 teams I have to think you are a proponent yeah I mean you know understandable right like you put in strength of schedule and all those things like that like understandable um we had a good football team that that uh won some big games and um uh you know something that we were looking forward to and obviously you know won the league that year and and played with some unbelievable guys had a lot of Talent on that team but um you look at it now and the landscape of it now you know if a team goes and does that I mean the possibilities are endless and the opportunities just roll in so um definitely wish we would have got that opportunity but you know definitely looking forward and excited for this year