Emeka Emezie: "I Have To Make Plays"
NC State senior wide receiver Emeka Emezie is expected to be a major playmaker for the Wolfpack.
The Waxhaw, N.C. native will enter the 2020 season with 122 career receptions, tied for 13th in school history. Emezie also has a 20-game reception streak, the 10th longest ever for the Wolfpack.
Do you still get that same level of excitement and energy when it’s the first day of contact even after all these years of playing?
Yeah, I just make sure to bring the energy every single day. It was a lot of fun today just being able to hit. We had more contact-type drills. Getting some hitting going was really fun.
What’s been the chemistry with you and the other receivers, as well as with Devin Leary?
With the receivers, we spent a lot of time together in the offseason, so I feel like we’ve gotten a lot closer. We’re a really tight group. With Leary and the quarterbacks, we spent a lot of time working different routes and in one-on-ones. We’ve been building that chemistry, and we’re getting along really well.
Does it help going into the season knowing who the starting quarterback is going to be?
It definitely helps a lot just knowing who your guy is so you can go back, talk with them, and talk things out. That’s the biggest thing: talking things out and working through things instead of not knowing who the quarterback is going to be. Knowing your quarterback gives you a lot of confidence, as well.
Was last season just an outlier? What is the confidence heading into 2020?
Last year was last year, so it is what it is. Overall, I feel like it was a lot of different things, and we got those things fixed in the offseason. Coming back with Coach Beck and having a quarterback that we’ve been going with gives us a lot more confidence to go off of. Coach Beck demands stuff out of us in the offense, so it’s been good to have set plays and a set system that we’re confident in and that we’re going to play with. That’s one of the biggest things.
What is your reaction to Wake Forest wideout Sage Surratt opting out of the season?
I don’t know what he was thinking. I might message him to see what’s up. Everyone has their different feelings about the season. If that’s what he wants to do, I’m happy for him to go train if that’s the best in this situation.
Appalachian State also shut down practices recently. How weird is it with everything shutting down and how fluid everything seems to be?
At first, I was having a struggle dealing with what’s going to happen. Now, I try to take every day as it is and give 100 percent. If you’re thinking about what’s going to happen or what’s not going to happen, you’re going to miss the present. I’m taking every single day, day-by-day.
Have there been any newer wide receivers that have stood out to you?
I’ve known Porter [Rooks] for a while. We’ve played together 7-on-7. He’s a solid player. Everybody knows that. Chris Scott is really, really fast, so I’ve been trying to get him on the jugs before practice to try to help him out. Anthony [Smith] and Josh [Crabtree] are really fast, too. This class is just a really good group.
Any reason for the number change from 3 back to 86?
It was just the mindset, really. A number’s a number, so it doesn’t really matter. I just feel like it was a change of mindset. I’d already been through a lot of adversity with No. 86. I was able to battle through those things. With No. 3, I was kind of soft. I felt like, last year, I wasn’t the player that I wanted to be. I want to be who I am and be my own person. I can’t worry about [what] anyone else is thinking or put any extra pressure on myself. I just have to be myself.
How will you change your approach this year as the No. 1 receiver for the second year in a row?
I just know that I have to make plays regardless. I just come in every single day, and I’m the same person. That’s the biggest thing I’ve been working on: doing the same thing every single day. I just love to bring energy for the receivers or going against the DBs every single day to practice. Giving that 100 percent will translate to the games.
Have you seen any differences in Thayer Thomas after he opted not to play baseball? Also, what is Porter Rooks doing well as a freshman?
I’ll start with Thayer. Thayer is always a guy that you can expect whatever you need out of him. He’s just a solid competitor and a solid person. He’s someone you can rely on, and you can see that in his play. He came in as a walk-on, and he just worked his butt off. Thayer is going to be Thayer. As for Porter, he’s a really consistent receiver. That’s rare out of a freshman. He comes in every day with his head straight and gets his work done.
Why do you feel like you were, in your words, ’soft’ last year?
I was working really hard, so I thought that I almost drained myself out before the season even started. I also felt like I was trying to please other people. I was listening to what everybody was saying. It doesn’t matter who it is; you can’t listen to outside noise. I feel like No. 86 is myself. That’s who I am. I’m not listening to outside noise. I’m just coming in every single day, being consistent regardless of the result, and doing my work.
Have you been to any in-person classes, or is it online only? How has everything been on campus?
I actually went to one in-person class before they moved it to strictly online only. It’s a lot different. It’s a different process with everything. You just definitely have to watch who you’re around, wear your mask, and keep your distance.