Why NC State freshman QB CJ Bailey is ready for the moment at Clemson

He didn’t look nervous. Instead, it was almost the complete opposite. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound 18-year old walked in with a smile on his face. He has always towered over most people in his life, reaching 6-foot-1 by the seventh grade, but as he strode towards the podium in front of nearly a dozen media members Tuesday afternoon, CJ Bailey looked at home.  Bailey, a true freshman quarterback, was four days ahead of his first-career start at NC State, but the signal-caller seemed like he was a natural. Each question he took in the press conference that lasted just over six minutes, Bailey was a pro. A thoughtful answer was delivered each time.  The Miami, Fla., native has a South Florida moxie mixed with confidence that he can do the job. He is ahead of schedule of where NC State thought he’d be this fall — learning from graduate quarterback Grayson McCall. But with the veteran on the mend from an undisclosed injury, it’s Bailey’s team in Raleigh.  Bailey has a mature presence about himself and that is not by sheer luck. The quarterback is used to the spotlight. He’s used to the big crowds. And now, that will be put to the test Saturday afternoon inside Clemson’s Death Valley in front of a sold-out crowd of 81,500 at Memorial Stadium.  But where did his swagger come from? Bailey’s time at Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep seemed to prepare the first-year quarterback for the biggest game of his life.  “We had a couple games like this,” Bailey said. “I know how to handle it and stay level headed throughout the game. … Death Valley is just another one of those games with a big crowd. It’s the same as what I used to do in high school.” Bailey, a true freshman quarterback, was four days ahead of his first-career start at NC State, but the signal-caller seemed like he was at home. Each question he took in the press conference that lasted just over six minutes, Bailey was a pro. A thoughtful answer was delivered each time.  The Miami, Fla., native has a South Florida moxie mixed with confidence that he can do the job. He is ahead of schedule of where NC State thought he’d be this fall — learning from graduate quarterback Grayson McCall. But with the veteran on the mend from an undisclosed injury, it’s Bailey’s team in Raleigh.  Bailey has a mature presence about himself and that is not by sheer luck. The quarterback is used to the spotlight. He’s used to the big crowds. And now, that will be put to the test Saturday afternoon inside Clemson’s Death Valley in front of a sold-out crowd of 81,500 at Memorial Stadium.  But where did his swagger come from? Bailey’s time at Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep seemed to prepare the first-year quarterback for the biggest game of his life.  “We had a couple games like this,” Bailey said. “I know how to handle it and stay level headed throughout the game. … Death Valley is just another one of those games with a big crowd. It’s the same as what I used to do in high school.”