NC State CB Devon Marshall met with the media to discuss his time at NC State, the bowl game, and much more!
On being named a second team All-American…
I would say it felt good, it was definitely a goal of mine heading into the season to be recognized after the season – All-American. I take great pride in that. I wish I could have got the All-ACC, but it is what it is.
I want to ask you, what were those last two games like for you? We hear from hitters saying the fastball looks like it's a beach ball coming in. How different did everything look for you as far as instincts and stuff like that in the last two games?
I mean, I feel like it started with Miami. I had a big hit on the running back, and I feel like that kind of locked me in a lot. And I also cut my hair, so I feel like when I cut my hair, it kind of changed things a little bit.
Did you feel faster?
Yeah, I just felt faster, I think. That's a little joke. I think I definitely locked in the last two games. I wanted to finish off the season strong. I had a few PBUs going into the last three games, and I just told myself I was going to finish the season strong.
Will you get a haircut before you go to Florida?
Yeah, I got a haircut before the Miami game on the bye week.
I'm saying before you go to the bowl game.
Yeah, I'm going to get another one.
Making sure.
What do you think you've learned about your journey from Boston four or five years ago to now? What do you think, what have you kind of taken away that shows who you are?
I would say, when I got to college, I've seen a lot. I stayed down, I stayed humble, I would say. And I just, each and every year, I've just seen my growth and what I was able to become now, I would say.
So since Boston, I feel like I've grown a lot as a player on and off the field. Definitely on the field, I've seen, I've just been around a lot of good players. I was able to add it to my game.
What's it like to play for Dave Doeren and what does he mean to this program?
I mean, Coach Doeren, he's a good coach, great coach, definitely a leader. You could just tell he doesn't give up. His energy in the game after we lose or win stays the same. So he definitely encourages us as a team and just wants us to be great.
In what ways do you feel like this secondary grew in season two, especially late in the year?
We were able to get the right guys on the field and just mesh together [with] the young guys as the season kept going. They were able to grow, learn, and experience new things. And I feel like we were actually able to click tackling wise, coverage wise throughout the season.
A lot of people say bowl games don't mean what they used to, but what does this game mean to you?
I mean, to me, it's my last game with this team and my brothers. So I'm just gonna go out there and give it my all for them. And it's my last college game ever. So it means a lot to me and it means a lot to the team that we get a dub so that they can carry on to next season.
