Aydan White: "Preseason Awards Don't Win Games"

NC State star cornerback Aydan White discussed the start of fall camp, the upcoming season, and much more with the media.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.

Being On The Thorpe Watch List...
It’s a blessing just to be on the watch list with a bunch of great DBs. So hopefully I can go and win this year. 

Does that give you extra motivation this year? Knowing that that could potentially be won?

Not really, just want to keep putting the same work for your team. So we can have team success.
 

Do you think this is gonna become the norm at NC State, guys at the school getting nominated for awards, being on the watch list at the beginning of the season? It’s not, gonna become something where you expect it every year, the talent being brought in?

Especially in the back end with Cisse being one of the young guys who’s really good. So I think it’s more important for them to get on the watch list as time goes on. 
 

And in other positions as well, do you see that type of talent?

First day was good, a lot of people out there resting, including me. Knocking off the rust, but we had a good first day competing with the offense. 

Is this the most talented NC State team that you’ve been a part of?
I would say yes, from O-line, D-line, to every position. But I’ll say, with the depth that we have, it makes it more talented. I would say this is the best wide receiver group we’ve had so far.   

Is it exciting that you guys are being talked about in the national media as a team that could really do some damage this year? Or is that something you just put behind you? How do you put that behind you?

I mean, all preseason talk is preseason talk. So we definitely gotta go out there and compete. Preseason awards don’t win games. 
 

With Payton Wilson and some of the other guys gone, maybe there’s not a lot of chatter around this year’s defense. Do you guys kind of feel that? And kind of feel like you got maybe something to prove that this defense is still a high caliber? 

Just with Tony Gibson being the coordinator, I feel like we are always gonna have a high caliber defense. So all of us just bought in with what Coach Gibson got going. 
 

Aydan, were there any voices you heard today that kind of surprised you as far as leaders emerging?

Not so much. I feel like everybody within the defense was talking and just communicating. That’s what we’re used to. So everybody holds that standard.
 

Obviously, you’re running out there and a lot of the things are natural now. It’s not the taught thing. You know the drill, you know the routine. Do you see younger versions of yourself with the freshmen, maybe trying to learn that stuff? And how do you help them?

Yeah, well, just thinking back on me being a freshman, how fast the time goes by. Just trying to be there for them, boy, and just help them not make the same mistakes I made when I was young, just on the field, and make sure they have that confidence in themselves. Cuz you’ve got time, but it also goes by fast. 
 

How important is it to leave this better than it was when you found it?

I mean, that’s the goal for everybody, just leave it better than how you found it. So then that just helps with recruiting, getting more big time players here, just keeps NC State being relevant. 
 

Friday is Victory Day, where GiGi’s Playhouse is out there, you’ve been a part of it. How neat is that event?

I think it’s more just humbling for all of us because a lot of those kids would love to do what we can do, but they can’t. But it’s also just a great day for us just to be around the kids.