Spring Practice: Stephen Louis
NC State senior wide receiver Stephen Louis discusses changing numbers, quarterback Ryan Finley, the upcoming season, and much more with the media.
On how he looked in No. 1...
I’m not sure, I’ll see on film.
On what it means to wear No. 1...
It means a lot because I know since I’ve been here the guy who’s worn it is a guy the team has looked up to. We had Jarvis Byrd my freshman year and then we had Hakim and Jay Sam the last two seasons so it’s a huge honor especially because I was here with those guys and I’ve seen what they did and really respect what they did.
On if he asked to wear No. 1...
No it was one of those things where Coach thought I earned it and the team backed him on that and they thought I deserved it and I worked for it.
On if he wanted a number change...
No I didn’t really have anything in mind. Coach just asked me would I want to wear the number one and he thought I deserved it and I was like 'alright.' I was fine with twelve, but I’ll take number one. I would have switched to a different number but none of the numbers I wanted were open so number one’s great for me.
On his ideal number to wear...
Number six is my favorite number because I’m the sixth child in my family.
On what number he would wear in the NFL...
Probably 16 because receivers wouldn’t be able to wear number six.
On his role changing this year...
My role will definitely go up because we had a lot of weapons leave. Nyheim and Jaysam, Cole Cook, guys like that who made really big plays for us. I think everyone’s roles will change, all the receivers, because you have to make up for the guys who left.
On his role changing off the field...
Leadership wise, definitely my role is going to change. I want to be a leader for the whole team. For the last couple years we’ve had great leadership with guys like Cole Cook, Jerod Fernandez and Airius. Those guys are gone now so I’m an older guy so I want to take a bigger leadership role with the whole team instead of just the receivers room.
On the receivers as a group...
Definitely. There’s a lot of competition in our room. You can’t take any days off. Seeing the same guys in there is great because you know you can never take a day off, you always have to be working.
On if he thinks the offense be as productive without Hines and Samuels...
I definitely think so. It’s a matter of guys stepping up and a matter of guys understanding that those guys are gone and we need to step it up.
On Finley’s return...
I was happy. I texted him, I was like ‘thank you’. It’s always great to have that guy back. Ryan’s a really hard worker and a guy that I love because he always pushes us and I’m just happy I got another year with him.
On whether he thinks Finley can be the top quarterback in college football...
Definitely I think so. He’s a guy who puts in the work physically and mentally. He takes really good care of his body. That’s something I’ve seen him and do and you can tell by his work ethic that he wants to do that.
On whether he thinks Finley can add his name to the list of Rivers, Wilson and Glennon...
I definitely think so. He’s really working for it. That’s what he’s gunning for. He’s a guy who sets goal and actually goes for those goals, he doesn’t just say things. He’s someone who puts in the work and you see it on a daily basis.
On how Finley rubs off on him...
I think he rubs off on everyone because you see him in the weight room, and you see him taking care of his body. He goes the extra step with recovery, nutrition and it makes you want to step up your game. That’s something I’ve seen a lot of guys do.
On how it feels to wear No. 1...
I put it on this morning. I didn’t look down at it, it’s just a jersey. But it’s one of those things where I’ll probably see it on the film be like ‘who’s that’ just because I’m so used to number 12.
On Kelvin Harmon and the other receivers competition in the weight room...
Kelvin’s pretty strong. I think upper-body wise he does but lower-body he knows he’s not messing with me. He’s pretty strong upper-body wise so I think he’ll probably get 340 on the bench.