Davin Vann: "Our Fanbase Has Been Electric"

NC State defensive lineman Davin Vann met with the media in the breakout session of the 2024 ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.

What does that put on the football team now to keep the momentum going?
We're kind of just riding the wave right now. You know, we feel it, of course. We enjoy it. It's great. Our fanbase is rocking right now, so we're just kind of riding the wave with momentum and kind of just using that to move us forward.

Davin, have you played college football 25 yet?

I have.

What do you think of it?

I love that game. I'm a little addicted to it.
 

Do you like the changes that they made, like the wear and tear and certain aspects of that?

Does it make it realistic?

It's not realistic that you could spend energy points, you know, just to be right back healthy, but I definitely like it. The wear and tear and all the little changes that were made, it's really cool. 

When you're in the game and you get, like, maybe a hit in a certain area and it's like, oh, it affects your arm, is that sort of what goes on in a game? 

For sure. I think that, you know, the hits and how it affects certain body parts is very realistic.
 

As a defensive player, do you like it when you knock someone out?

Yeah, of course.
 

But how much fun have you had? And I know the $600 and the free copy of the game is cool, but the fact that you could be in the re-release with your likeness in it, how cool is that?

It’s surreal. Words can’t describe it. It's still kind of weird to me just being in a game, but like I said, it's just very surreal.
 

You kind of touched a little bit earlier on [it]. This defense has a lot of guys that can play, too.

What are some names on that defensive side of the ball that NC State fans should look out for this season?

We've got a lot of guys. Donovan Kaufman, Kerry Martin, Caden Fordham, and Sean Brown. You know, we've got a lot of guys. I can't even name them all, to be honest, but there's a lot of guys that are really good players and help us a lot.

With a lot of the guys having an opportunity to step into a bigger role, how much are you all seizing that opportunity to really make a stamp on games?
I think we’re seizing it really well. This summer has gone really great. The guys are coming in with great energy every day. I've been willing to put in the work.

We've kind of come to the conclusion that hard work isn't a punishment. It's our solution. That's kind of the mindset we've adapted and taken on.
 

You said you came back to NC State with unfinished business. What's the next step for you in your game? How can you reach that next level?

I kind of just want to be more consistent while playing. Talking to the scouts and stuff, that was kind of my biggest downfall, is can I show up and then I kind of fade away. So just consistency.

I've been working on my stamina and things like that. Pass rush, all those things.
 

How has your off-season preparation changed?

It's changed a lot. I've taken things more seriously, corrections, treatment, all those kinds of little things that a lot of people look over. I've kind of just taken those and cared about the details of those.
 

You guys were talking about this on the podium, but what's the buzz been from NC State this past spring with baseball excitement? Do you guys feel that, too?

Yeah, we definitely do. The buzz has been buzzing. Our fanbase has been electric, especially with the women's and men's basketball teams doing what they did and the baseball team doing what they did and all those things. We definitely feel it, but it's not a bad thing. We're enjoying the, I wouldn't really call it pressure, but we're enjoying the energy that they're bringing. Like I said, we're just riding the wave.
 

It's a new era of football, NC State, a lot of transfers. How do you guys help acclimate them and kind of show them, I guess, what the NC State way would be?

We kind of just do what we've always done, just uphold the standard, make the stand the standard. But we welcome them with open arms because at the end of the day, they're our brothers now, so we're kind of just trying to make them family as much as we are family from the people who have been here.
 

Davin, we've heard a lot about Travali Price this offseason. What have you seen out of him? What makes you excited to be lining up next to him this season?

I’m really excited about Travali. He’s gotten stronger, bigger, faster. But his pass rush has come a long way. His run game has come a long way. Just watching him grow and being a part of his development has been really great, so I'm really excited to see what he does this season. 
 

The third starter, of course, Brandon, in the middle there. How have you seen him embrace that starting role at nose tackle?

You know, Chaz coming in and DJ coming back from being injured. I think he's done a really good job of stepping into a leadership kind of role for those guys. I think he's started to take the work more seriously, and I think he's developing really well, too, so I'm really excited to see what he does, too.

Davin, from a defensive perspective, you’re going against that offense. What was kind of different about this group compared to what you think back to last year?

Okay. Just the number of threats that we have. The ball can go anywhere and just get hit in any way they can get to, so that's one of the biggest things that I've seen. Kind of just that attitude that they're with has kind of changed a little bit. It's more like they're more ready to attack now. It's not really as conservative as we played in the past. So, yeah, I would just say that there's a lot of threats, and they're a little aggressive.  
 

Davin, what's your favorite pregame snack?

It's a weird one, but I eat cucumbers with salt. It helps me stay hydrated, and I like cucumbers.
 

Have you always done that?

I started doing that last year.
 

NC State coach Dave Doeren, he's talked a lot about championship. He's mentioned that a lot.  Is that uncommon from what he's talked about the last few years, and does he mention it as often away from the media as he has with the media?

I wouldn't say it's uncommon, but it's more prevalent now. Offseason, we've kind of focused on it. He's kind of said it on the podium, but what it looks like and all the things that we need to get done to achieve that goal. And I definitely think he talks about it way more than he talks about it with the media and in the building. So, yeah, I think it's just more prevalent this year.

We've kind of focused on the details of what it looks like.
 

What new guy on the defensive side do you think is kind of underrated that people need to be looking out for? 

New guy, as a transfer?
 

Or freshman, either one.

That's hard. I mean, the first person that came to mind would be Sean Brown, but, I mean, he's technically not new. But, I mean, if we're talking about a transfer or a freshman, I'd probably say either Donovan Kaufman or KJ Martin. Those guys are really strong and really hard workers. I haven't gotten to see them play too much yet, but you know, if we all can't put a term in that, I think that those two guys and Ja’had Carter, too, those three guys have been really hard workers. They have the right attitude. So I'm excited to see what they do.