NC State LB Devon Betty: “It’s my job to lead”

Linebacker from NC State Betty Devon is looking forward to the start of the season. He recently met with the media to talk about his development and much more.

NOTE: Click on the video above to watch the interview.

To play as outside linebacker…
You all know that I honestly started out playing outside where I played best, back in '21, I was a linebacker for Will. I love it, love it.

What is it like being the veteran in this room now?
As a veteran, as an older guy, it's my job to lead. My job is to make sure the guys are OK. I have to make sure they come to work every day and do the right thing, and I just have to make sure everyone is giving 100% every day.

Are you all officially preparing for the Western Carolina game yet?
Yes, we are. Today was our first day in Western Carolina.

Okay, what do you see from them?
We just treat them like any other team and expect them to play hard and fast. Just because they're in a lower league, they can still come here and that's true if they come here with the right mindset. So our job is to come here every day, practice and treat them like any other team.

What is your best advice for new fathers?
Time management is the most important thing for young fathers, especially if they do sports and still go to school like me. Time management: setting priorities, planning everything and keeping everything simple.

How has fatherhood been so far?
Fatherhood is beautiful. It's definitely a learning process. As you know, we've talked about it. It's still a learning process every day. My little girl is almost a year old now. I had her last year in Virginia. We missed the whole week of practice. Fatherhood is beautiful. I love it. I'm learning every day, like I said. It gives me peace of mind, I must say. She's the only thing that can calm me down.

To what extent does this increase your desire to be able to represent them and compete on the field?
It gives me another kind of motivation. Just knowing that someone back home is depending on me makes me feel like I have to come here every day and bust my butt every day. Just knowing that I have another why is important to me. It motivates me every day to come here and work hard.

Is there a motivation to be number eight?
No, I'm just changing the numbers. I'm trying to get it to maybe four this year.

I think the coaches have said you are possibly in the best shape of your career. Is that true? What's the story behind that?
I would say I've just looked back over the last few years and seen what I've been lacking over the years and I just realized that I could be better in that aspect of my body. Just be in better shape, fitter and more flexible.

What did you see from the people around you?
As far as assists go, oh, we're on a roll. As you all know, we've got Sean Brown back in the box. We've got Caden Fordham back in the middle. We're on a roll this year. If there's not a drop off in performance, everyone's going to say, 'Oh, Payton Wilson, left, you're going to drop off, I promise you.' Sean Brown can get the job done and I can't wait for you to see it this year.

Was that a battle cry in the off-season? No drop in performance?
Yes, that's true. No drop-off, no drop-off. We're everywhere, on social media. But like I tell everybody, we don't go on social media. We just prove it on the field. So, yeah, there's obviously not going to be a drop-off this year.

You know this defense like the back of your hand. How does that help you play faster?
Honestly, it helps me a lot to play faster. When you know what you're doing, when you know where you're supposed to be, and when you know where the other guys are next to you, you can go right away. And because I'm a better player and I know the defense so well, I can play faster than a lot of guys who are still learning.

You've been training against a group of talented running backs for a few weeks now. What do you think about Hollywood?
They're all good. I like our backs this year. Jordan, Hollywood, Kendrick, all of them. They're all good and I'm glad Jordan joined the pack. Good competition every day. Allows us as backers and defenders to benefit from him because he's probably, honestly, the best athlete you'll ever see.

You mentioned the situation as a parent. How has NC State helped you with that?
A lot. NC State has helped me a lot as a dad. We have a lot of resources outside of football, in football. Obviously, a lot of our coaches are dads and stuff. So they just give some advice every now and then about being a dad and I can only take it and learn from them. Obviously, they did it for me, so I can only learn from them every day.