The 11th episode of “You Don’t Know Jack” hosted by Junior cornerback Jack Tocho was released yesterday.  The purpose of the show is to help NC State fans get to know more about a player than his stats and the number on his jersey.  I spoke with Tocho at Media Day on Sunday, and there is much more to the young man than earning the team award for Defensive Back of the year last year and the #29 on his jersey.  Without further adieu, let’s get to know Jack Tocho.

Tocho can’t separate his play on the field from his personal faith in Jesus Christ.  The way that he understands his faith shapes the way that he understands being a teammate.

“In playing football, and walking with Christ, I’ve learned that it’s not always about me,” said Tocho. “What I do on the field is not about my accolades.  It’s about how I represent my family, but even bigger than that, it’s about how I represent Christ.”

Does Jack Tocho want to play in the NFL one day?  Absolutely, but Tocho wants to have a bigger purpose on the football field than his own personal success.

“If I’m being overconfident in myself as a player, it can come across as being egotistical,” said Tocho. “But if I’m playing for a good purpose, to help better other people and make them look good, and to represent Christ, then it means a lot more for me to play my best, than it would be if I was just doing it for selfish reasons.”

The idea of putting his God and his teammates ahead of himself gives him a vision to make an impact through playing football that is exponentially bigger than just playing for Jack Tocho.

Charles Barkley didn’t want to be a role model back in the day, but that didn’t stop people from watching.  We all influence people in our lives, but some people have bigger platforms than others.  The platform of a starter on a team in a Power 5 conference is fairly significant, and Tocho doesn’t want to waste it.

“Football is a platform for me to lift up my teammates, and for me to lift up the Lord as well.”  said Tocho.

Tocho’s smile and positivity are contagious.  Some players turn into a different player on the playing field, but Jack Tocho says he brings the positivity whether the pads are on or off.

“I always speak positivity to the team on the field.  I’m always like ‘Let’s go defense'”, said Tocho. “I’m always speaking positive words, because I believe if you put negativity in the air, it may bring down the morale.  I always speak positive things, even on the field.”

Prior to reading this, Jack Tocho might have only been #29 in the Red-and-White jersey, but now you can no longer say “You Don’t Know Jack.”