NC State CB Brian Nelson II, HB Duke Scott, and TE Vander Ploog recently appeared on the Wolfpack Weekly Radio Show to discuss the Virginia game, the home opener against Richmond, and much more!

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CB Brian Nelson II

How's this week of work been, getting ready for Richmond?

It's been great, man. We've been very attentive to detail this week and just making sure we bounce back, of course. Just worrying about one game at a time, but focusing on getting better and growing as a team.

As a captain, what is your responsibility to dig yourself out of what happened at Virginia and dig this team out of what happened at Virginia?

My responsibility as a captain on this team is just to really uplift everybody else. It's not just about my own performance, but about making the guys around me better and upholding the standard across the whole team, ensuring we all share the same mindset.

Second year here now with the red and white. You started in the Houston area in high school ball in Pearland, Texas. I'm going to ask you about that in a little bit.

You go to North Texas, which is in Denton, for those who are unaware of where the Mean Green are located. You have all kinds of accolades. You have a fantastic freshman year.

And you come here. And last year, your role was what? And how different is your role now this year here with the Pack?

I feel like my role last year was similar to this year. Just now this year, I have a captain. I'm going to have a C on my jersey. But last year, I was just getting used to the defensive scheme.

Of course, getting used to the team, just growing throughout the team in general. But I feel like this year is no different, really. Just like I said, I'm going to have the captain role on the team and just have a bigger role of just forcing turnovers on the offense.

So that's what I think of it.

So what was the jump like from North Texas to come to NC State? How was your game last year? And how have you improved your game from last year to this year?

Yes, it was a big jump coming from North Texas to an ACC team, NC State. And so, of course, a big jump as a strength program, of course, coaches, school, recovery, all of it. And so it was a big jump.

But my game has grown a lot. Of course, I learned a lot from Coach Mitchell. I learned a lot from Coach Doeren, Coach Eliot, Coach Warren, just everybody in the building.

So I really feel like I've been getting better and just continue just to see more potential for myself.

There are different types of corners. There are cover corners. There are corners who can rack up a bunch of tackles.

There is the rare player who can do both. It's not often that cover corners also get a ton of tackles. You had five stops against Virginia.

That tied your season high last year, which you did a handful of times: five stops. Tell me about the difference between those two abilities: being a cover corner and being a physical corner. And then what have you worked on?

What do you take pride in? Do you try to do both?

I mean, I feel like, of course, the difference between a cover corner and a tackling corner. But when I think of it, I think of myself as an all-around type of corner. You have to be able to do everything.

If you're only good at one thing, you're not really as valuable as you think you are on the field. So when you're able to do all types of things — tackling, covering, all those things — it just makes you more valuable. So this offseason, I worked on a lot, just, of course, more of my cover skills.

I felt like tackling was cool. My cover skills are good, too. But it's always something to work on.

So I just took more pride this offseason, just working on my cover skills, man-off-man. It's really everything.

We were at one of the first practices. And it was open to the media, so I can talk about this. This is not a state secret.

No, this is not a secret. This guy, in a one-on-one competition, goes up and makes a one-handed interception grab that was sweet. Where do the ball skills come from?

Because that looked like a guy who is comfortable catching the football.

That's one thing I'll say I take pride in: just getting that ball, man. Even back in high school, I had seven interceptions in my senior year. Could have had 12.

So I just take pride in always getting interceptions. Like, if anybody were asking me, "What's your goal this year?" I want to lead the country in interceptions.

I want to be a top leader in interceptions. And so that's just what I take pride in: getting that ball back and being elite. I have a couple of people just calling me the ball hawk.

So I take pride in being a ball hawk.

We're talking with Brian Nelson here, corner captain here for the Pack. We have a live show here at Sports & Social. It is Richmond week, a Friday game against the Spiders.

Practice matchups, there's been a lot of that. You've played one game, but you've been at it for six weeks now, longer. I forget the exact chronology of that.

Who are some of your favorite practice matchups? Might they be Duke Scott and Vander Ploog occasionally?

I feel like, really, every matchup on the offense is a favorite matchup for me because I know I'm getting better every day, and I'm also making them better every day. So we live by that: iron sharpens iron. So I truly feel like any receiver I go up against on our team is already a great matchup.

You can go up against, say, a walk-on and feel comfortable with how you're playing. You guys do a lot of good-on-good, one-on-ones. What do those battles do for you as far as going up against guys that are going to be starting, or at least in the rotation, to play as receivers?

So what I feel like it does for me, as I said, is make me better. And I know for sure this year is different with the guys we have on our offensive side and in the receiver room. After every one-on-one rep, no matter if I win or lose, they can teach me something different.

So I can know what I messed up on and what I did well. After every practice, I know for sure they're coming to me asking, " What did I do to stop their route? Or what did they do to make me bite on their route?

So I know for sure I'm getting better in every one-on-one, good-on-good matchup against those guys.

Brian, what's Pearland, Texas like?

Pearland, Texas, it's nice out there, man.

You hear Texas, you just think of the world. So it's nice in Texas in general. Pearland, of course, is the quieter area of Houston.

Houston is the big city. Pearland is the outside part. Not really the outside, but the south side part of Houston.

But it's nice out there, man. It's a vibe.

So you and I get to do a Get-to-Know-You video this summer. And one of the questions was: who has influenced you? You mentioned your grandmother and your aunt.

And the reason you said that is, when I started playing football at four years old, they would pay me. Were your grandma and your aunt paying you when you were four years old?

Really? A quarter?

They were paying me. They were paying me, like, I'd say up to $20. So, I mean, that's really what kept me going; it just gave me that image in my mind.

Like, this is what it's going to be like in the NFL. You score touchdowns. You get interceptions.

Making those big plays, you can get paid for it. That's in your contract. That's how they were treating me when I was a kid.

You broke your family, man.

Been on payroll since four.

Hey, did you grow up a Texans fan?

It was rough growing up as a Texans fan.

But I'll say these past, what, like three or four years, I've got back my great defense. Great defenses.

The Oilers predate you a little bit. But the Houston Oilers were the heritage team. Are you familiar with Spike Sowells Jr.'s cousin, Earl Campbell?

The great Houston, that's his cousin. That is his cousin. So you got to go to Spike, and you got to say, hey, I learned something at the radio show tonight.

Spike's got a whole bunch of family members that played in the league. And I guess he doesn't advertise enough for the Houston guys that his cousin is Earl Campbell. So I was going to ask you if you had talked to Spike about his cousin being Earl Campbell.

I don't know how the full family tree there works. But it is noted that his cousin is Earl Campbell.

That's crazy. I never knew that. That's crazy.

Well, Spike is on the Eat Like an O-Line menu here at Sports & Social.

When we have the radio show, when NC State football games are being shown, we have a special menu that the offensive linemen came up with. So Spike is on there. It's Spike, it's Teague, it's Rico.

Which one of these are you picking? The Banging Shrimp with Spike, Crunch Time Wontons with Teague, or Buffalo Blitz with Rico? Or you can go for the Big Man Trio and get all three.

See, I'm not a big shrimp guy, so I'll probably pass on Spike's meal. I'm really feeling Rico's pick. I like what Rico got right here. That's nice.

Let me leave you with this. Final question here, unless this prompts another one, in which case we're going to tap it up. 

Is there a team basketball game? Have you guarded Vander or Duke on the hardwood, buckets-wise?

Who's the best basketball player on the football team?

I'm going to exclude myself.

Don't exclude. You don't need to be humble here. Best player, basketball player. Because I thought Vander was going to say it himself.

I'd probably say, I'd probably say Pluto, the freshman.

Really? Real Pluto, Pluto Surratt. All right.

OK, he can ball.

But we know who the best golfer on the team is. The guy sitting right here.

Is that right? I don't know. No, I will say, my guy, Vander is nice.

On the links.

Really?

Spike says he's good.

But I've seen this one. Yeah, Spike is good. I think Vander might tie.

HB Duke Scott

What's it like wearing No. 1? Is it easier after a win or a loss, you'd think, to be a leader on a team, to be a guy trying to make an impact in the locker room?

It's 100% easier after a win because everybody's hyped, everybody's having a good time. And during times when you take a loss, that's when you really have to lean back in, really get the guys back going, make sure nobody gets lost in what's going on.

And, like, games happen, stuff happens, and we just got to come back stronger so we can get back into that win column.

So what is your responsibility as a captain to try to dig not only yourself, but the entire team out of what happened at Virginia, to move on? And you've got much more football to play. But as a leader, how do you step up and make yourself heard in that role after a game like Virginia?

The biggest thing is coming to work, leading by example, like showing that what happened in Virginia is gonna happen in Virginia. We're gonna keep it there and move on. We're gonna go 1-0 every week from here on out.

It's really just making sure the guys are mentally in the right space.

That's the biggest thing. That's always gonna be big, making sure everybody's mind and head is screwed on straight, so you can go on the run that you need to go on and not really harp on the past.

I saw Kurt Roper, offensive coordinator, earlier this week at a media opportunity. Use the word rhythm. The word rhythm, frankly, lack thereof in Charlottesville. I asked Coach Doeren about it at one point this week. I'll ask you as well.

Did it feel like you just never could quite get in a flow, string multiple positive plays together, to feel like you could figure out how to crack the code there at UVA?

Yes, sir. They had a good plan for us, but it started off a little rough. Like, I think we were three-and-out and couldn't regain that momentum.

We kind of just — we lost our game plan. I thought we lost how we played. And when we go away from that, that's kind of when you start running into mistakes or running into things where it's just like, it seems like we're just having the best day of our lives.

So we know that we've got to stick to our game plan, stick to our script, and just trust our process, and that's gonna lead us to a lot of wins.

I asked Coach Doeren after the game, "Are you surprised that your offense only mustered 168 yards?"

He says, "Absolutely. We could score that in a quarter. We should be getting that in a quarter."

So how surprising was it for you when you looked up and saw the less than 200 yards of total offense?

Yes, sir. It was one of those moments where, just like, wow, things just aren't going our way, and we just have to go back to the drawing board and see what went wrong. See what I didn't do well.

Like, that's our résumé right now. That's what we have to own. We have to live with. So it's one of those things where we just have to go back to the script, see what we need to do better as a team, and make sure something like that can't happen again, can't be put on film again.

And, Duke, I want to ask you a general question. It's not a Virginia question. It's a running back question.

I marvel at the ability sometimes of successful running backs to get through the smallest spaces. You're not a small guy.

You're wide, right? You're squatting unbelievable numbers.

He's a freak.

Yeah, that's right. Officially, yeah. On the official list, No. 18, right?

That's right.

That's a technical term. There's a scientific term.

How much room, how much space do you need before what would you define as, OK, that's a sufficient hole for me to get through?

It's not a ton. I mean, I know you don't need a Mack truck's worth of space to drive through, right? So how do you gauge that when you've got the rock, and you go, "OK, now I know I can make my cut"?

How much space do you feel that you actually need to get through to get to the next progression?

Honestly, a sliver of light. I tell my line to open up a keyhole, and I'm gonna try to squeeze through it.

Yeah, so the reality is just whatever the line can do. Like, if they give me the read, I just know that I got to hit it. So if it's just maybe a little sliver of light, a little slit of space, I know if this is my read, I got to make sure I get through that.

So that's really the biggest thing, just getting yards when there are no yards there.

You mentioned the Freaks List, which he was on. Bruce Feldman does one each year. I think you were No. 18 this year.

You've increased in weight. You've increased in your lifting, but you haven't lost your speed.

The speed is still there, correct? Is it a 4.35?

Yes, sir.

Wow. Only needs a keyhole.

Yeah, to slide through. The mentality of a running back: how difficult is it when things aren't going well, and how anxious are you and all of these guys just to get back out there and play after playing just one game after fall camp, and then you have a week off, and then you've got to sit here and wait for Richmond?

We're all so anxious to get back on the field. We know that we didn't put our best foot forward against Virginia, and we're just so ready to get back on the field and just prove what we have through all the playmakers that we have on the field.

Prove that we have a top-five quarterback in the nation. And it's just like we understand that right now people are doubting us, and that's where we want to be.

That's right.

So we can just keep proving everybody wrong week by week.

It was a road game. I know you'd be excited to play anyway, but how much more excited are you to get in Carter-Finley?

Oh my gosh, I'm ecstatic, to be honest. Like, it's been so long. I think, what, the last game we had was UNC, which is an amazing one. But that's pretty much like a year ago, like eight, 10 months, something like that. So we're so excited to get back to it.

The fans are awesome. We can't wait to hear the third-down chants, the fourth quarter. Like, there's so much stuff we're looking forward to, and we're all so excited.

I was talking with someone yesterday at practice, and he said, "You see that guy right there? That's Duke Scott."

I'm like, "Yeah, I know."

He said, "He's a super guy. Talk to him about academics because that's equally important to him as it is football."

How much pride do you take in your academics? What is your major, and what do you want to do?

Academics, I ask that from my mom. My mom, she's a teacher, and she pretty much instilled that in us as young kids. Like, "You're gonna get your degree. You're gonna get everything you need. You're gonna take full advantage of your college experience."

So just because you play football doesn't mean that you're not a student anymore. And that really carries over to me because I want to do something pretty good.

I'm majoring in IT, so I want to use that and have, like, a really good, productive job after sports.

So that little thing, it's something I take so much pride in. Every test, every study I have to do, every assignment I have to do, just because I know how important it is for my mom to get that degree.

That's good to know in case we have an issue with the sideline gear.

That's true.

Jeff, you can go over to Duke. "Can you fix my mic?"

Mad Dog's up in the booth. Mad Dog's up there. He's got us all wired up, but you're down there on an island. Duke'll take care.

I want to ask you also: you're not, as of Game 1 at least, you weren't kick returning. Did you like kick returning?

What's the knack to have vision in kick returning? I was thinking about, as a running back, you've got that sliver of space. As a kick returner, you have what small amount of time to figure out where to go after you've judged where you've caught the ball in the end zone and if you have a green light or not to take it out.

There's a lot you're thinking about while the ball is in the air.

Oh, yeah. I love kick returning just because, as you said, there are so many moving parts, and everybody has to do their thing to execute the play.

And Coach Goebbel does a great job of listing your rules, the tools you use, and all these different things. Like, our key thing is to blow through the smoke. Like, it's not gonna look clean. Nothing's gonna look pretty on kickoff. But if you blow through the smoke, you run fast.

He says, "Put that speed that you have, whatever your 40 time is, use it. Whatever your squat is, use it," because you got to run through all these arm tackles to get where you need to get.

So Coach Goebbel does a great job of teaching us about these plays and all the different moments and opportunities we have.

So really, going through my head, once I know where the ball is, once I know I'm gonna catch the ball in the field of play, I'm ready to go. And that helps me not really think about it too much and just run.

So that's what I really love about the kick return field.

So we're here at Sports & Social. There's a special menu put together by three of your offensive linemen, Spike Sowells Jr., Teague Andersen, and Rico Jackson. Which one of the Eat Like an O-Line do you prefer? Banging Shrimp, Crunch Time Wontons, or Buffalo Blitz?

The biggest one so far that I've liked is Teague's, the Crunch Time Wontons. Like, it's savory, a little sweet, and it's just amazing.

You could also pick the Big Man Trio and get all three.

But that's just a guy who likes to stay fit, for sure, so he can fit through the keyhole.

The keyhole.

Yeah, you go through the keyhole.

TE Vander Ploog

What is it like being out there playing your first game wearing the Wolfpack uniform?

Yeah, man, it's awesome. I mean, it's such a great feeling being able to get back to doing what I love. I mean, the field is where I feel at home. So it's awesome just to be able to get back out there, be with the guys, get the blood moving a little bit. So, yeah, it was awesome.

Two catches, 25 yards. I was standing at the goal line when you caught that one. I thought you were going in.

Yeah, so did I.

Should have been in. So you're saving it for your first game at Carter-Finley Stadium on Friday? Wanted it to be at home.

OK, how anxious are you, and what have you heard about playing a game at Carter-Finley Stadium?

Oh, I've heard the environment is just incredible. I mean, the fans come out, they give it their all, go crazy for the Pack. So I'm super excited just to get to see it live, see what Carter-Finley's about.

Were you nervous? Were you anxious? What was it like in Charlottesville out there first time?

I definitely thought that I was gonna be nervous, a little anxious before the game. But as soon as the cleats came on, I was ready to go. I mean, just getting back to doing what I love felt normal.

Take me through the play, the catch at the one. Take me through what you remember from the line of scrimmage, 21 yards downfield, right near the pylon.

Yeah, so just looking at the coverage, being able to see, OK, what am I gonna do here?

I skipped out into my release. I'm kind of going downfield, and I saw the defender ahead of me with his head looking to the other side. So I'm like, OK, CJ threw the ball the other way.

And then I break, and I'm like, nope, that ball's, yeah. So I did what I can, caught the ball, tried to dive for the end zone, but stopped short.

That's all right. You were a happy guy when you popped up on that one.

Evaluate yourself as a receiver right now. Evaluate yourself at the critical aspect of blocking as a tight end. That's something. Last year, the tight end room was one of the best blocking tight end rooms in the country.

How would you evaluate yourself as a receiver? How would you evaluate yourself as a blocker right now?

Yeah, I would definitely say the receiving area of my game is where it's strongest. I played receiver in high school. That's what I spent all of my time doing.

But since I've been here, I've really been able to sit down with Coach Locklear and be able to say, OK, this is what I need to do to be able to be a guy that can play on Sundays.

So being able to just hammer at that every day, working on different fundamentals and techniques, hitting the bags, working footwork. So I would definitely say that I'm on the path to being a defined blocker.

Where'd you go to high school?

I went to Troy High School in Southern California.

Troy High School in Fullerton, Southern California. Is that right?

Yep.

So that's kind of like Anaheim, LA.

Yep, right around there.

So Southern California, Los Angeles. You, wide receiver, and baseball and basketball?

Yep.

What was your first sport? What was your first love?

My first love was basketball. Both my parents played in college. My grandpa coaches college basketball. My dad coaches college basketball.

So where do they coach?

Azusa Pacific University.

So they're a Christian D-II school, or D-III now, down in Glendora.

Your grandfather coaches the women's team, right?

Yeah, so he actually stepped down, and my dad took over.

Oh, really?

Yeah.

Oh, wow. OK. Well, and by the way, your grandfather doesn't look like a grandfather. When I looked him up, I was like, no, that's not a grandfather right there.

No. Yeah, the last time I was back home in California, we surfed a good bit. So he's still out there moving around, shooting hoops, surfing.

So he's doing good.

Surfer. I'm glad he brought that up, too.

Yeah, also, I saw a video you made when you were at Oregon, where you spent the day with Vander Ploog. Yeah, you hit the surfboard.

How long have you been a surfer?

I've been surfing since I couldn't walk.

My grandpa would have me out there, hold me up on the board. So that was definitely my true first love. That's what I've been doing since I was as small as I can remember.

So any translation to football?

Definitely. I would say the body control is something I haven't noticed. But watching back, it's OK; I understand how I need to turn and move my body to put myself in positions to be successful in surfing and football.

I don't think I've ever heard that combo before in terms of one helping the other. I've heard of wrestling. Like Peyton Wilson was a big-time wrestler, and many others as well. Wrestling is pretty common.

I've never heard of surfing before. Are you big, you're, I mean, physically, like surfers? I don't picture how tall — what, he's 6-4?

Closer to 6-7. Almost 6-7.

Excuse me. Pardon me. I apologize. 6-7. I'm not trying to short you by three inches here.

So you're almost 6 or 7. That sounds like a big surfer.

That's a big surfer. Yeah, my shortboard's not very short.

How much did you think about playing basketball or baseball at the college level also?

Yeah, I definitely did. Figured I'd play all three throughout high school, and then I came to a point where I said, OK, I'm your average power forward. I'm getting rebounds, making free throws, doing what the average power forward does, and I'm only 6-6.

So being able to watch my dad's team, the men's team, made me realize, OK, this is not for me. I'm not a collegiate basketball player.

And then, playing baseball, I mean, I only got to play for two months out of the year, so I just never had the time to fully develop in it.

But, yeah, you're a pitcher.

Yeah, pitcher. Wow. Leverage.

So you came off your basketball season, and then you went straight into baseball. All of these great old-school guys who played football, basketball, and baseball, that's the best. Play as much as you can for as long as you can.

Exactly.

Would that be advice you would give some of the young people out there?

Absolutely. I have three younger brothers, and I told my parents to make sure all of them play as many sports as they can for as long as they can, because now that I'm only playing one, I miss it.

You grew up in that Southern California, LA area. There are so many people there. There are basically 25 million people in that region of California.

Did you really have to leave? If you're the best football, basketball, baseball player in that area, and then you had been to Raleigh before, right? Like, what was your bicoastal experience when you got out here in the red and white? Had you ever been here before?

I'd never been out here.

Yeah, so I'd definitely say that the East Coast, the South, somewhere I had never been before. So it's been awesome being out here for the first time and just experiencing everything, the culture, the people. So it's been awesome.

So, what was the hook that got you here? What was that process like?

Yeah, it was awesome. So I came out here on my visit, sat down with Coach Lock, and told him I just want somebody that believes in me and somebody that is gonna help me get to where I want to go, which is the NFL.

And so he sat down and said, "Here's a plan. Here's what we would do. Here's how I can help you use your strengths, work on your weaknesses."

And I just had a great connection with him. Sat down with Coach Doeren. I mean, it's been awesome ever since I first got out here.

Coach Lock is Gavin Locklear, the former NC State receiver who was a walk-on and earned a scholarship after coming through an injury. He has a great story to tell, but also, too, he loves the tight end room. He loves coaching you guys.

How would you describe Coach Locklear in his coach mode?

Yeah, I would say that's a guy that loves football. And I've definitely learned and picked up a lot of stuff from him, the way that he watches film, watches his opponent, watches himself.

I'll be having a conversation with him, and speaking of Richmond, he was watching a 2024 game. He had said that he had already watched all their games and was going back to watch two- and three-year-old games of theirs.

So, I mean, he's a guy that loves football and wants to be the best at what he's doing.

And he might be the only assistant coach wearing cleats to practice.

He's ready to go every practice.

Yep, get the cleats on the ground. He's not afraid to put that pad on.

What have you heard about Carter-Finley? What are your expectations of the home opener here?

I've heard that it gets jumping, and I cannot wait to see it.

I mean, yeah, I'm fired up.

So in one part of the video you did, a day in the life, you had you standing in front of your bathroom mirror, and you had written your goals on it.

Yep.

Do you still do that to this day?

It's something I believe in. Every morning when I wake up, I want to look at the things that I am achieving in life and the things that I want to get done. And it really helps me put my life into perspective and just be where my feet are.

What are some of those goals?

Definitely growing in my faith is at the top of my board, something I want to do every day and in everything I do, to be a light in this world, showcase my faith, and help others with theirs.

And then there's just a bunch of kind of year-by-year things. So definitely the Mackey is up there. Winning the ACC is up there.

So there's a good bit of stuff.

That's awesome. Where did you get that from, the mirror, the practice of writing your stuff on the mirror?

Yeah, so that was actually something I picked up on at Oregon. Dan Lanning, that was one of the things he did, something I started implementing in my life, and something that's really helped me to this day.

How did being in that environment at Oregon, such a successful program, rub off on you and what you bring there?

Yeah, it's awesome. I'd say being able to sit behind two guys who are one first-rounder and another one who's going to be a first-rounder this year, Kenyon and Jamari, seeing how they take notes, how they practice, how they eat, how they do all the different things in their process.

And being able to say, OK, how can I apply these into my life? And so being able to take that and kind of implement that into my day-to-day, and then being able to come over here now and keep doing those same things.

Maybe some of the younger guys are looking and picking up on things, and so that's the goal.

We've got about a minute. When you hear music in your ears, we'll have 30 seconds.

No, go ahead with this.

All right, there you go. We've got the Sports & Social Eat Like the O-Line. Which one do you prefer, Spike, Teague, or Rico?

Oh, I'm rocking with Spike every time. I'm a big shrimp guy. Yeah, that Banging Shrimp, we had it in the booth over there. It's elite.

Richmond Spiders, what are your expectations playing an FCS team? I know you're familiar with high-quality FCS teams from playing them out west a little bit.

Yeah, I mean, they just got ranked. They're an elite team. A bunch of guys who are tough-nosed, want to get their hat on the football, guys, and good-motor guys.

And so I think it'll definitely be a good test for us to be able to go out there and play against a bunch of guys who are trying to put their helmet in your chest.