When NC State sophomore running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye put “Slimey Shark” on his high school HUDL video, he wasn’t expecting the moniker to show up during ESPN’s broadcast Saturday.
Thousands heard about the nickname during NC State’s 21-20 win over East Carolina, but Sumo-Karngbaye isn’t quite sold about it sticking for the rest o this college career.
“I never told anyone about ‘Slimey Shark’ but it was on my HUDL highlights,” Sumo-Karngbaye said. “Then ESPN called me that and I was surprised because how did they know that.”
The 6-foot, 210-pound Sumo-Karngbaye does have friends simply call him “Shark.”
“I was confused at first, but it is what it is now,” Sumo-Karngbaye said. “It’s kind of corny to me. It’s kind of a high school thing, but I don’t really mind it. It is unique for sure.”
Sumo-Karngbaye was one of the bright spots for NC State’s offense Saturday. He rushed 14 times for 79 yards and a touchdown, and caught a six-yard pass.
NC State offensive coordinator Tim Beck gave his promising new running back high marks in talking to the media Wednesday.
"I love the way he plays and I think he loves football — all elements of the game," Beck said. "He loves practice. He loves everything it takes to be a running back. He is not a selfish player. He is going to do what it takes to help the team win."
Sumo-Karngbaye said the two areas he needs to improve upon are doing more vertical cuts instead of going sideways, and to just calm his mind down from racing.
“I need to slow my mind down because I was playing too fast,” Sumo-Karngbaye said. “Especially in the goal-line stand, I was supposed to slow down on the mesh getting the ball, but I took the ball too fast, and obviously you saw what happened.”
It had been since 2020 when he played running back in a real game, not counting the NC State spring game. He was known as Demie Sumo at Willingboro (N.J.) High when former NC State wide receivers coach George McDonald found him. McDonald is now at Illinois.
NC State was Sumo-Karngbaye’s only high-major offer. Temple, Toledo, Northern Illinois, Maine and Buffalo had also offered. He called picking the Wolfpack a “leap of faith.”
“COVID definitely intervened with that,” Sumo-Karngbaye said. “It delayed my recruiting process. None of my coaches here ever came to Jersey.
“They [NC State] were just hoping I was good. I just wanted the D-I competition, Power Five.”
Sumo-Karngbaye was limited to three games his senior year due to COVID. That was the last time he had touched the ball in a real game. His parent were able to come to Greenville, N.C., for the game, and then see NC State’s campus Sunday. Sumo is his dad’s name and Karngbaye is his mother’s, so he merged the two last year.
The long absence of playing running back helped lead to his mind “racing.”
“I couldn’t slow myself down,” Sumo-Karngbaye said. “You see when I scored I just ran into the wall. I was just excited and my family was there.”
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