Trent Pennix: "I See the Brightness in the Future of This Program."
NC State tight end Trent Pennix met with the media as the Wolfpack progress through spring camp in preparation for the 2023 fall season.
Hampered by injury, the Raleigh graduate student only saw action in five games last season. Pennix caught eight passes in total, amassing 111 yards and scoring two touchdowns. He looks to become a major asset for the Pack’s offense, now under the leadership of offensive coordinator Robert Anae.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Pennix’s interview.
On his health…
Honestly, I feel great. I’m doing treatment still on my shoulder. Even though I’m still feeling good, I’m always still living in that training room. There’s not a day that I don’t go in that training room. I’m one of the first people in the building. I was there at about 5:30 this morning getting treatment. As an older guy, I take full responsibility for taking care of my body and making sure I’m healthy to help this team and program go as far as they can. As Coach [Dave Doeren] just said, the only way we’re going to get that far is if everybody’s available. The only way you can get better is being available, and if you’re hurt, you can’t really do that. I was out all season last year, just watching on the sideline. That’s what really triggered me to let go and, no matter what, still go in that training room and do whatever I have to do to make sure my body feels 100 percent on game day. Football doesn’t last long at all, and there’s so much that comes with the sport. You just have to control what you can control.
On staying at NC State…
I came back because I see the brightness in the future of this program. This program can go as far as we let it go. The thing is that all of us that returned this year — me, Payton [Wilson], Derrick Eason, Teshaun Smith, [Brennan Armstrong] — we’re the older guys on the team, so we’ve got to take this team under our wings and do what [Grant Gibson] and [Isaiah Moore] did: be that voice that everyone listens to, and be the ones people can trust and depend on in practice, off the field, whenever they need us, and on game day. Every day is a schedule, and you have to stick to it.
On unfinished business…
There’s a lot of unfinished business because of how we left that last game. We definitely don't like ending on an L. Two years before, we didn’t even get to play a game, and we got granted [a no-contest] by default. We’ve got a lot to prove, and we know we can make it far this year, make it to a New Year’s Six bowl, maybe even the CFP. I say we take each day at a time, don’t look down the road, just focus on now, work on getting better now, everybody getting healthy, everybody sticking as a team, nobody falling apart or straying apart, and the rest will take care of itself.
On the relief when Anae was named offensive coordinator…
When Coach Anae came in, we actually had a conversation, and he was saying, “I can really make you an All-American. Just let me work with you.” During one of the workouts, we started watching film on the installs, getting all the installs and plays down. It’s just so much simpler, and we can move so much faster and not really think as much compared to [Tim] Beck’s offense. No offense to Beck’s offense — it was helpful as well, but I feel like, with Anae’s offense, he utilizes all of his players’ abilities. He could put anybody in any part of the field. He can probably have me motioning into the backfield and taking a snap, for all I know. He’s so creative with his schemes. It’s unbelievable what he can do.
On playing a role similar to Jaylen Samuels when he was here…
I feel like [Anae] has understood that kind of role. I can use my speed. I can use my strength. I can really do anything. Like I said, I’ve just got to be available.