NC State Wolfpack football corner Shyheim Battle is growing from past experiences

When redshirt freshman cornerback Shyheim Battle was being recruited coming out of Rocky Mount (N.C.) High in the 2019 class, the four-star was looking at a who’s who offer list that included Clemson, LSU and Ohio State, among many others.

So, you can forgive Battle for having high expectations when he arrived in Raleigh. Instead, he played just three games in 2019, with all of his reps coming on special teams.

Battle can offer some advice for those recent newcomers who have hopes of being immediate contributors but are facing the reality that on a veteran-filled roster playing time may be limited.

Battle's warning: it’s going to hurt your pride a little.

“I got to travel, so I got to see how it feels how it’s to be a part of a team, but not really be a factor, not really play a big role on the team,” Battle recalled. “I had to take a back seat, watch guys play.

“Probably, you had to put your pride aside, more than anything.”

Battle also understands, after starting all 12 games last season in a successful rookie season that saw him lead the Wolfpack with 10 pass breakups and also have an interception while making 36 tackles, that he was not ready in 2019.

Nothing crystallized that point more than when Battle viewed NC State trying to contain the running game at Boston College that year. Watching BC’s 250-pound star running back AJ Dillon up close, he remembered, was a bit of a wake-up call.

“I was like, ‘I don’t know if I could hit him,’” Battle recalled.

Battle is now a far different player.

“I would say I wasn’t ready, but in my mind, because I had my ego and my pride, I was like, ‘Man, I should be out there playing.’ But I go back and watch the tape, I don’t look as fluid as I do now,” Battle noted. “I didn’t have that same confidence and that same mindset and go out there and attack every day.”

Battle’s motivation following his redshirt year was that he did not want to be a player who was going to ride the bench for his career. He quickly turned that into success, but he knows nothing can be taken for granted, either.

Cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell has warned all his players that there is a competition for playing time.

“It’s definitely a grind,” Battle said. “No guy wants to mess up on any reps. Everybody’s job is on the line. Nothing is set in stone. We are all out there every day trying to get those two spots.”

Although it’s a competition, Battle has experiences of being on both sides of the coin — the player redshirting who watched from the sideline to the full-time starter.

“I do consider myself a leader,” Battle said. “I am still young, and I still listen to the older guys, but I feel like if I have something to say I am going to say it. I have history here now, and I feel like I can speak up.”