James Smith-Williams: "We Have A Lot Of Confidence"
NC State senior defensive end James Smith-Williams discusses the upcoming season at the 2019 ACC Football Kickoff.
You were thinner in high school. What have you done to fill out so well?
He's talking about maybe 60, 70 pounds ago. I was a 195-pound kid. I think buying into what the program is teaching us, the weight room and the nutrition plan with our staff, it's helped me grow a lot.
Can you describe the competition, the push to get better, that goes on between you and Larrell Murchison.
I love him. He's a great football player. He's a great guy. We've grown very close. I would say that every day he does something new, I'll do something new. We're trying to copy each other or teach something that we learned. It's helped us both grow.
With so much experience and depth on the defensive line, how much confidence do you have coming into this season?
We have a lot of confidence. I think that comes from experience, but also comes from knowing the system, knowing who is around me, playing beside Larrell Murchison gives me a sense of confidence. We're excited to play and we're excited to get going.
How would you describe, in your opinion, from your viewpoint, the Wolfpack, what Coach Doeren has done with this team, elevated this team and this program not just in the ACC?
Right. I think Coach Doeren has a standard, and that standard is raised every day. He set the bar high. He's shown us also what it's like to be a man, handle your business. I think that's reflected on the field, as well.
We had the commissioner in here earlier. A lot of talk about the ACC Network, ESPN, all that. Do the players talk about that? Is that on your radar in any way back in your apartment or anything?
We're definitely intrigued by it. It's cool to get more coverage, especially for the other sports that are outside of football, that they're all getting covered, being played on TV as well. We're definitely aware of it.
At the end of the day we're here to win games, you know.
For several years now you have been really good at stopping the run. Less good at stopping the pass. I believe last year was a little better than previous years. You would agree 11th is maybe a little higher in the league than you'd like to be. You returned three of your four top players from the secondary. Is this the year State gets better in the secondary?
I think those guys have the experience and knowledge that we need to be the best possible defense on the field. I'm excited to play with them. I know they're excited, too.
What is it like to wear the No. 1?
It's a massive honor, if you look at the guys that came before me, Jaylen Samuels, Steph Louis, were all hard-working guys that were well-respected in the program. I think that's reflected in the No. 1. I'm excited to be wearing it.