Cary Angeline: "I Definitely Think We're Ready For Wake Forest"

Redshirt senior tight end Cary Angeline enjoyed a strong season for NC State last year, leading the way for a battered tight end room and earning an All-ACC Honorable Mention nod.

If the Wolfpack is going to have a bounceback season this year, Angeline will likely need to play a big role again. Angeline spoke to the media via Zoom Wednesday, he’s a full breakdown of everything he had to say: 

How much did the 10-day break set you guys back? How long did it take you guys to get back into a rhythm? 

The 10-day break was kind of tough, because it was kind of in the middle of camp, where you’re used to practicing every day and stuff like that. I still think it could be a positive because we’re going hard for two or three weeks, and then just to get our legs back during that camp is something a lot of guys haven’t had the opportunity to do, just rest and get your legs right. And so obviously it was a little tough taking that break, but our game got pushed back, obviously and the 10-day break will help us out a little bit just with getting our legs back and stuff like that.

How did guys look when you came back those first couple days?

I think we were a little bit rusty but I definitely think we came out strong. I think we’ve been practicing well. Offense, defense, special teams, all playing well. I definitely think we’re ready for Wake Forest. 

What will it be like watching games this weekend? Would you rather be playing?

Obviously we all kind of wanted to play. But at the same time, we kind of just have to control what we can control. We had in mind that we were going to play Saturday but it got pushed back. We’re just prepping for Wake Forest, doing all we can to prepare for Wake Forest, so kind of just having a good mindset and controlling what we can control. 

Will you watch some games this weekend?

I’ll definitely be able to watch some games. It’ll be cool to have the college football teams back playing. We’ll still have practice Saturday but I’ll definitely be able to watch some games. I’m excited for that. 

The tight end room was decimated by injuries last year, how good is it to have everyone back plus the young players who gained experience?

I think everyone’s excited about the tight end room. I think we’re all playing well. We’ve got some veteran guys now who have a lot of experience under their belt. I think we’re all playing well and it’s good to see all the guys get back healthy.

Last year was a breakout year for you, what types of things have you worked on to improve your game and how well do you feel like you fit in this new-look offense as well?

Definitely, we’re always trying to improve in all aspects of the game, but one aspect we’ve kind of focused on is the run game. That’s something I think I’ve improved on a lot. In the past we’ve tried to work on route running and those are the main things I’ve been working on. With coach Beck’s new system, I’ve definitely seen good things from that. Guys are playing fast and confident, but it’s been good so far.

Going back to that break, what did it teach about the severity of the situation? 

During camp, some guys get tired and it’s kind of a grind. Once you get that break, it kind of gives you a little different perspective. You just have to appreciate it. You never know. A few weeks back, I think a lot of us thought that no one really knew if we were going to play or not, so it kind of just puts things into perspective. You appreciate every practice you get, every rep you get. 

Because you guys have depth in that tight end room, has coach Beck worked out any alignments where we may see more than one of you in the lineup at a time?

We’ve had some 12 and 13 personnel. It’s definitely been good, like I was saying. I definitely think as a unit, we’ve improved a lot all around. It’s good to see a couple of us on the field at the same time. 

How has freshman tight end Ezemi Udoh looked to you?

He’s good. We like him a lot. He’s a really good athlete and he’s still kind of learning the playbook and getting that down. It’s definitely good to see his progression so far. I definitely think he’ll be a good tight end. 

Will you watch the Wake Forest game as a fan or will you be scouting?

I think it’ll be a little more of a scout, getting to see them play for the first time. It should be good. We’ve watched some film of them last year, but I definitely think it’ll be more of watching Wake Forest, what they do, other players, their tendencies and stuff like that. 

Do you think that will give you guys any kind of an advantage?

Maybe. It’s kind of a weird situation; I’ve never really been in a situation like this before. It’ll definitely be good to see them play and see what they’re doing this year.

What’s the biggest adjustment you’ve had to make in learning coach Beck’s offense?

There hasn’t really been a big adjustment. He’s done a good job of making it easy on us, kind of just adjusting his terms to what we’ve done before. So it wasn’t really a huge learning curve. I think he definitely makes it easy on us to learn it. He’s definitely shown at practice that guys have been playing fast, playing confident.

How different is coach Beck’s offense from what you dealt with last year?

There’s some similarities, some differences. We all like coach Beck a lot. I think we definitely trust his system. It’s definitely been proven to work in the past. So we’re definitely excited about that. 

With so much going on since last Spring, how has coach Doeren addressed things going on off the football field?

I definitely think coach Doeren’s done a great job of being honest and being transparent with us. Just telling us all the information he knows. A lot of times, stuff that he knows is stuff you’re seeing on the news, on Twitter, whatever. But he’s definitely done a good job of preparing us, giving us the right recovery time if we need it. I definitely think coach Doeren’s been great in handling this whole situation.