NC State Safety King Mack: "This Was The Easiest Transition I've Ever Had"

NC State safety King Mack discusses his time in Raleigh, the start of fall camp, and much more with the media.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the full press conference!

On having played for three different schools…

Experience. Being able to experience different programs, different coaches. So, you have the mentality to learn all over again. So, I knew once I came back, I had to learn all over again. And also taking freshmen and showing them the way.

What's it been like to be reunited with your high school teammates or high school opponents? 

It's crazy because Chance (Robinson) and I went to high school together. I was a pound above him, JoJo Trader, CJ Bailey, and Davion Gause. Seeing all of them, it's crazy. Every day, every time I see them, it’s like Ravenspark all over again. It's wonderful. It's great to have; it's a family-oriented team.

A lot of people knew each other for a while. So, I feel like that's so important because once we go on the field on Saturday, you're playing for somebody. You can't tell them they're not going to give it your all.

Especially when you know their background, you know where they came from. You know their why. Once you know their why, it definitely gives you a reason to go hard.

Do you have a favorite memory of playing together in high school or playing against each other?

Winning. Winning is my favorite memory. Winning. Holding that trophy. Watching them hold the trophy when they won it. It was one year, actually. My pal won the Super Bowl, and their pal won the Super Bowl. They played right after us. No, right before us.

We played after them. We've been winners since we were young. 

What's your best story of watching CJ growing up? Seeing him as a quarterback. 

See, what a lot of people don't know, CJ is very, very physical. So, I literally coach. Like now, in college, there's no hidden quarterback. Always there's a quarterback. CJ, CJ was one of those quarterbacks, where he's not trying to juke you.

Yeah, he's the tallest, so he's not going to try to steal from you. He's going to run you over. That's why I tell everyone out there, don't get CJ in the state. He got in the tank. I've seen it. 

Did you get run over?

No, sir. 

If we asked him that, would he say the same thing? 

If I got run over? Knowing CJ, he's going to say he would. Ain't nobody beat his confidence. That's why he's the best quarterback. CJ's the most confident person I’ve ever known. Bet on himself every time.

Did your eyes light up when you saw your speed rating for a video game? 

It didn’t, honestly. I know what I ran in the 40s, so I wasn't shocked. I know the numbers I put on the catapult. It's not shocking. 

What was your best 100-meter dash?

My best 100 in high school was a 10- no, 10-5. I was really a 400 right there in high school. I was a 400 state champ.

How much did having CJ and the other guys here help you decide to transfer here, or did that not really play into evaluating what NC State had to offer?

Honestly, once I had that conversation with Coach Doeren, because I talked to CJ after the fact. Once I had that conversation with Coach Doeren, he told me, "I'm tired of coming in second." I want to win, so I'm going to get whoever I need to get to win.

There's no arguing or going against that. At the end of the day, we all have the same goal. That's to win. I sat down and talked to him, and he told me that CJ's going to be leading us. Why not? That's no second question.

It's basically home now. I came here, and it was open arms. It wasn't- I'd say this was probably the most- No, it was the most easiest transition I've ever had. The easiest transition. 

Is part of that because things are so stable here, where maybe things were not as stable the last couple of years at other schools? 

Stability, definitely. Also, it's the chip on their shoulder. Coach Doeren, he makes us have a chip on our shoulder. That chip that- oh, sorry. That chip on our shoulder that he instills into us, that's what's going to make us so great. 

Coach Eliot was talking about you walking into a stadium, no big deal. You played in front of 100,000 people. What is that like when you try to convey to the younger players what a game day experience is like? 

I always tell them this is the same game you've been playing since you were young. The only difference is that it's a crowd. It's more audience. I always tell them, don't panic. That same player we were in high school, that same star we were in high school, it's the same sport.

Nothing changed about the sport. It's more- first, it's someone who's just as good as you. Second, it's more IQ. You gotta have a higher IQ. You can't just go out there and rely on talent. Skill, technique, understanding the game, and understanding concepts.

I tell all the freshmen all the time, listen, bro, don't come into college and don't let it overwhelm you. Attack it. Attack it. Why not? You're not. 

You're obviously the oldest guy in there, but a lot of the guys who played last year- how cool has it been for you to see those guys kind of develop and just keep getting better? Whether it's Ronnie, Brody, or guys like that.

We have a very, very talented safety room. From the freshmen up, Chino Aguirre, Pluto Surratt, we got a lot of talent in that room. It's a great experience.

Just even watching the film from last year and seeing how young they were, and they were able to just go out there and make it happen. It shows you, right back to what I said before, it's the same game. It's a different crowd.

They were able to go out there last year, and they played well. They did, honestly. I'm confident in my room. I'm confident in Coach Warren's coaching. I have no doubts. 

Did you have any past relationships with Coach Warren?

Yes. Coach Warren actually recruited me out of high school when he was at USC. I would say I got two people.

Jackson Vick and Ronnie Royal. The reason I say that is Jackson is him and me; he's a vet. He's a vet, so he understands the game.

He's got that experience. You can't tell Ronnie he can't do anything. Ronnie would look at a brick wall, and you're like, there's no way he's going to run through this brick wall.

He's going to run through the brick wall and show you how to run through the brick wall. Then he's going to go up to you out there and say I told you. Ronnie and Vick, those two right there, those two, they saw me when I got here.

Did you see that on the film when you watched how Ronnie was playing last year? 

Oh yeah, Ronnie a hitter. Ronnie is a hitter; he is a playmaker.