WATCH: NC State QB CJ Bailey Isn’t Worried About Bil Belichick Being UNC’s Coach

NC State Freshman Quarterback CJ Bailey was interviewed by the media after practice yesterday. He spoke about his decision to return, what his thoughts were on Bill Belichick, what he’s learned this year and a few more things. You can watch the video ABOVE, and read the transcript BELOW.

I think this is the first time we got a chance to talk to you. Your decision to come back, what went into that? What was the whirlwind like? Other people trying to reach out to grab you and take you away. Why did you wanna remain with Pack?

I always had plans of coming back. I enjoyed my time here. I enjoyed being with these coaches, and these guys, and everything. The fan base is amazing, so why would I leave? There’s no reason for me to leave and go anywhere.

I’m not even in it for no money or anything. I’m trying to play and win games, and go to the next level. So that’s really my goal. I’m here.

Can you explain what it’s like to have people reaching out to you? What is that like?

It’s good that other people have interest in me, but this is where my heart is at. This is where my head is at. I love Coach Roper. I love Coach Doeren. It’s where I want to be.

Have you heard or seen the reports that Bill Belichick might be the head coach at UNC?

Yeah, I seen it, man. Bill Belichick can get it, too, man. We’re going five years, no matter who the coach is for UNC, we’re going to kick them.

What would that mean to you, though, that you could potentially beat Bill Belichick?

Yeah, that means a lot that I could play against Bill Belichick, meet him, but shoot, if he comes to play, we’re going kill him…we’re gonna kill him.

You went into the year thinking this was gonna be a learning experience. You had to learn on the fly. What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from your start?

I learned a lot.

I learned that you’ve got to show up every single day. I learned that from Grayson. I learned that, when you’re the starter and when you’re the guy for the team, everybody’s depending on you.

So you’ve got to come in with a different mindset. You’ve got to come in every day knowing that you’re the guy and everybody’s depending on you. So I learned that big from Grayson and Coach Roper, and that’s the biggest thing I learned this year.

Are y’all in game prep for ECU yet?

Yes, we are. We’ve been doing the scouting reports, watching film. We’re getting started early. We want to win this thing.

How excited are you to see Jonathan Paylor get the opportunity? And what kind of have you seen from him in practice that, obviously, his fans haven’t gotten to see? What have you seen from him behind the scenes?

Yeah, JP is explosive. I feel like everybody knows that. He’s really fast, and he’s got great hands, and good body control.

I respect him a lot. JP, he’s a great player, and I can’t wait for everybody to see him.

How important is this month of full practice for you and the other young guys?

Yeah, it’s very important that everybody gets their reps these weeks, because it’s really important for those guys to get a chance to see how it feels. It takes time, I know that myself. It takes time to get adjusted to everything.

It’s good that they’re getting these practice reps and getting their reps in this game, because it fuels for next year. I had to learn myself that it’s not gonna be that easy.

You’ve got to get the feel for it. You’ve got to get those reps. It’s very important for those guys to get those reps, because they could really help us out in the future.

When the play comes in, and you know that Hollywood Smothers is going to get the ball in his hands, do you expect something big to happen?

All the time, he’s really another explosive player, a great guy.

Every time we get a call from him, I’m expecting him to break. That’s his mentality. He’s always trying to break every one. When I know that, I’m glad to hand the ball to Hollywood.

You know this is ECU’s Super Bowl. They feel looked down upon by NC State. They just feel that way. You’re going to face a team with a lot of emotion. Are you ready for that?

Yeah, I am ready for it. A lot of people told me that this was kind of a rivalry game.

Shoot, I didn’t know that. So it’s a different feeling in the practices. Those guys have been telling me how it is in North Carolina, telling me it was a robbery game.

We’ve just got to come to play, like how we always do, and show up.

You talked about learning and kind of just growing up. When did that click for you?

After that Clemson game. When it was fast-paced, and I had to try to adjust mid-game.

Even though I came in with good intentions, I kind of wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready for that, ready for the game. Those guys came fast.

I had to learn, this is big time. I’ve got to step up, change the way I do everything, because there’s ball players in college football.