CJ Bailey on NC State’s ACC Title Goals, Manning Camp & Final Season | Sports Illustrated

Brian Fisher here for Sports Illustrated ACC Media Day is joined by NC State quarterback CJ Bailey.

It always seems like whenever we come to these events, you just know the season is right around the corner.

How excited are you for this upcoming year?

You know, coming around here is a good feeling because I'm already, you know, I'm preparing for the season, you know, it's, it's getting close, but I'm ready.

You know, I'm ready for the year to start.

I'm ready for camp to start.

I'm ready to get out there and swing it.

Busy summer for you.

I know you're at the Manning Passing academy.

What was that experience like this summer?

Yeah, it was a great experience.

Experience, you know, it always gets better and better.

Like last year it was amazing and it got even better for me, uh, this year.

It was, it was really hot, but, um, it's so much great people there, so much great advice, you know, it's a great feeling to be there.

Yeah, a little understatement there in terms of being there in Louisiana in the summer.

Uh, what that experience though, what are you learning and where do you kind of see your areas of growth going into this coming year?

You know, I see a lot of areas of growth, especially mechanics wise, and, you know.

Um, using my ability to, you know, just to push the ball downfield, uh, with my lower body and everything like that.

I got a lot of tips and pointers from, you know, a lot of the greats, uh, Peyton and Eli, and they was, they was, they was on me and they was helping me out.

I mean, you're a rarity walking around here in the ACC in terms of being a multi-year starter and especially a three-year starter.

What have these last couple of years been like for you going into this, this final season for you?

You know, the last couple of years has been, it's been great, you know, um, to see who I, who I became now is, is amazing, you know, I put a lot of work in, a lot of, a lot of, um, you know, a lot of grind, you know, to be here and, you know, these past couple of years, it's just been constant work, you know, just trying to get better at my craft and get better at, you know , managing a team or, or winning games or whatever the case may be, and, you know, this year I'm ready for everything that's, that's thrown at me.

A lot of exciting new faces there, there in your program, but in terms of your skill position, talent, it's also some friends that, you know, from back in the day, right?

Yeah, there's some great guys, um, guys that I grew up with, Josiah Trader, Daveon guys, Chance Robinson, those guys I grew up with, and you know, it's a good feeling to have them back with.

Me, you know, it's, it's always a great comfortable feeling when you know those guys around you.

How much were you a recruiter to get them to come there to Raleigh for you?

A lot, you know, I, of course, I, even before I, you know, recruited, got recruited by NC State or signed to come to NC State, I always was recruiting them to come, you know, here and But it's just always been like that constant every year.

I want you guys here.

I want you guys here.

But it was, you know, with their team, so, you know, it's always like that.

Do you feel like you, you're already on the same page with them?

Oh, of course, you know, from the first practice, it was just like.

On, on target.

Everything clicking, you know, it was just like we, we've been there before, we did it before.

So how, how excited are you in terms of not only what you have coming, some of those new faces, but what you have coming back as well, especially along the offensive line?

You know, I'm, I'm very excited to see, I mean, see what we do in our first game, especially, um, you know, those guys coming back is great.

Like this is amazing, um, those old linemen.

Um, from Spike, the young, the young guy Spike came in.

All those guys are really good, and, you know, going in, I feel comfortable.

I feel like I could trust those guys because I've been in situations with them, and the offense that's coming back is going to be great.

Across the stadium there, you had the Hurricanes and certainly winning the Stanley Cup was, was huge.

What was that kind of run for you guys, uh, you being in town there?

Yeah, it was amazing.

Like the city was filled up, you know, it was.

It was really packed, but um that was a good feeling for the city of Raleigh for the Hurricanes to win and you know , just turned up the city for us.

Are you hoping some of that kind of rubs off on you across the way there?

Of course, yeah, I, I want, I want to keep it going, like when we got to win the ACC championship, so the whole city of Raleigh come out and, you know, light it up with us.

So in order to get back here to Charlotte for that ACC championship game, what needs to happen for you and what needs to happen for the team?

You know, for me, I just got to be, be the same guy every day, you know, be consistent.

You know, that's the biggest thing for me and, you know, for the team, we just got to stay, stay with each other, like, keep that, that brotherhood going.

Like we just got to keep believing in each other, don't point fingers and always just keep moving forward.

That is CJ Bailey, NC State quarterback here at ACC Media Days with Sports Illustrated.