James Smith-Williams Excited About The Quarterback Competition
NC State senior defensive end James Smith-Williams touched on a variety of topics with the print media at the 2019 ACC Football Kickoff.
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.
“Innovation is key. You go into that building, everything’s glass, everything’s open, it looks brand new, everything’s sparkling and clean, and it’s very neat. We’re always pushing and sitting in that room, thinking of new solutions to new problems and new ideas. It’s an amazing experience.”
“He sat me down when I was a freshman. And I was a freshman; I didn’t make the most sound decisions in the world. He said, ‘Hey, what are your goals? Write them down. What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to do here? Where do you see yourself?” What I wrote down was what I’m trying to live out now. Those things I wrote down are what matter most. That’s one of the examples I can give.”
“I think at the end of the day, Coach Doeren brings in dudes who are great coaching fits. That’s what we do. I think we’re all pretty uniform in terms what our goals are and what we want to achieve. I think he does a great job of bringing those guys in there that are very like-minded.”
“I’m not worried about any of them. They’re all great, talented backs, but I don’t fear anybody. That’s my answer to that, honestly.”
“Ricky Person’s a shifty guy that’ll make you miss. Trent’s a bigger dude, maybe around 220, who also runs a 4.4, so that’s incredible. And there are freshmen that I haven’t seen yet, so I think I’ll learn a lot in fall camp.”
“I think Matt [McKay] has the most experience, but I think honestly they’re all great in their own individual ways. Matt has experience, he’s mobile, and he can throw. But then Devin [Leary] is a carbon copy of that; he can throw, and he can move. For me, as a defender, I want to see how they handle the huddle because that’s a big thing. Can I get in their heads? That’s what I’ll be doing in fall camp. I want to rattle somebody. That’s an exciting deal.”