5 Questions: Terrell Dudley fired up for South Carolina State
Asked this week who are the leaders for the North Carolina A&T football team this season, linebacker Terrell Dudley assumed the role.
"I'll say this as humbly as possible: I see myself as a leader," said Dudley, who is in his first season with the Aggies. "I want to step in as a leader and do so by having unmatched energy, an unmatched passion and an unwavering desire for my teammates to be the best they can be each and every single day. They might not like me at the time because I am going to push them. I'm going to push them, I'm going to tell them what it is, and I'm going to be real with them and let them know, 'Hey, this isn't going to help us win.'"
Dudley transferred from Division II Valdosta State, where he had 63 tackles and a sack in 10 games as a freshman then 53 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in 14 games as a sophomore. He has seven tackles in four games for A&T this year.
"From my point of view, from my perspective, I go out there and have unmatched energy every day, and I think a lot of guys can attest to that, Dudley said. "I'm kind of crazy out there, but I feel like that is something we kind of need."
The Tallahassee, Florida, native is majoring in business management with a concentration in entrepreneurship and a minor in computer science. He answered questions prior to A&T's game scheduled for Saturday against South Carolina State.
Q: You seem to echo the optimism of your head coach. Is that where you get some of this confidence from?
A: "Yeah, I'd say that. ... That's just who I am, and I want to give thanks to God for also giving me this opportunity. I don't ever want to take it for granted, and if I ever do, I'll realize that within myself, like, 'Hey man, I've got to stop tripping. I'm taking it for granted' and things like that.
"This opportunity, it only comes once in a lifetime. When you put the pads on, you only have but so long to put the pads on, so when the pads are on, you want to make the most out of every opportunity."
Q: I know you mentioned you want to be "real" in terms of giving people the honest feedback and stuff like that. What are the origins of that, what molded you into that kind of person?
A: "I want to say what molded me into that kind of person was just experience. It doesn't go anywhere, you are not helping anybody by just 'Hey man, that was good, that's alright, you'll get it next time.' Nah ... most of time, if not all the time, you have to be real with some guys. Now, some guys you might have to talk to a different way because they don't always react the same way. You might be able to be all loud or rowdy and aggressive with one man, but doing the same thing to another person is not going to do them any good. They are going to shut you out, they are going to get mad at you, so there is a certain way you talk to certain people, but realizing that, I feel like you can be a really good factor on the team whether you play or not. Just having that energy and just having that positivity and being real with somebody, that is how I'm going to help you.
Q: How would you describe what you do off the field, maybe some of your passions outside of football?
A: First of all, I love God, so I'll be in the Bible and try to make all of my church services. Other than that, I love to get good grades. I love to go home and show my folks I'm doing really well in school because NFL stands for Not For Long, so with dreams and aspirations to go to the NFL, I understand that I also have other dreams and aspirations as well outside of ball. So being really good in the classroom is something I look forward to as well as — I'm kind of an entrepreneur-hustler type of person, so I just always like to look for things to do, more opportunities to pursue, so certain things like that.
Q: I know you mentioned the Bible. Do you have any favorite passages or stories in the Bible in particular?
A: David and Goliath. David, he went into basically battle. He stood up. He stood up for the people. He said, 'Hey look, this is what I'm going to do,' but many people would say, 'Oh, David was strong,' 'David, he had a good shot,' but what really allowed David to do what he did was his faith, his faith in God. His faith was so strong that it didn't matter what happened. He just knew that God was going to take care of things, so that's where I am at, too.
Q: You mentioned a business-entrepreneur attitude. Are there any ventures you are currently doing or any that you see in the future in terms of business for yourself?
A: I'm exploring right now. I had a good opportunity to go to the career fair, which was really great for me. I met a lot of great employers and a lot of great recruiters and was able to get that experience, so hopefully looking into next summer, internships and things like that. But as far as business-wise, I like to take care of this business on the field first and foremost.
High School Sports Reporter
