North Carolina State University Athletics
Program Spotlight: Alan-Michael Cash
11/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Bruce Winkworth
Most football players seem like entirely different people away from the playing field, but few go through more of a transition on game day than NC State defensive tackle Alan-Michael Cash.
On the field, Cash is the proverbial bull in a China shop. A stalwart on the Wolfpack’s defensive line for the last 30 games, Cash is the D-line’s top tackler. Through the Florida State game, Cash had 40 tackles, including 32 primary stops. He also had five tackles for losses, two sacks, 10 quarterback pressures, and had caused a fumble.
Cash’s personal goal on game day is to cause damage.
“A lot of damage,” he says.
Cash has achieved that goal many times in his career with the Wolfpack. Earlier this season he saved the Wolfpack’s victory over Pittsburgh with a key quarterback pressure as the Panthers were trying to tie the game on fourth-and-goal at the end of the game.
The following week he had a team-high nine tackles, two of them sacks for 10 yards in losses, at Wake Forest, then had another nine tackles and four quarterback pressures the following week vs. Duke. He led the team with seven tackles at Boston College, and two of those were for losses totalling seven yards.
Cash’s performance this season is hardly a surprise. He entered the season as a preseason second-team All-ACC pick by Athlon magazine, based on his strong junior campaign in 2008. Cash notched at least an assisted tackle for loss in six of the season’s final seven games, including three sacks.
“I think I’ve performed well,” he says, something of an understatement. “There’s always room for improvement, though, which is something I need to take advantage of. I just try to do everything the coaches teach me, watch film, do everything I’m told, work out real hard. I’m a very hard worker, and that’s really about it. If you work hard, you’ll be successful. That’s how I feel.”
Away from the field, Cash is the picture of tranquility. A parks, recreation and tourism major, his idea of fun away from football is to spend a relatively quiet night at home with his wife Natasha and their four-year-old daughter Jaida.
That sort of domestication might not work for most 22-year-olds, especially 22-year-old college football players, but being married and responsible for a family has given Cash some much-appreciated stability in his life.
“Being married definitely changes you life,” Cash says. “ It allows me to focus more on school and football. Before I got married, I would go out and hang out with the fellas all the time. Now that my wife and daughter live here, I know that I have responsibilities, so I just stay home and play the father and husband role.”
After a hard afternoon on the practice field, there are times when going home and playing the father role for a four-year-old. When she was younger he would spend hours reading stories to her. Nowadays, she seldom sits still long enough for stories. Running around like a little kid and watching TV have taken the place of stories.
“She’s a wild little girl,” Cash says. “She runs around a lot. She’s very energetic. I don’t read those same stories to her anymore because I get tired of reading the same book over and over. She just watches TV now and falls asleep. I just love her to death. Everything I’m doing now, I’m doing it for her.”
Part of Cash’s matrurity came about the hard way. Two years ago his father died, leaving him as the man of the family. Consequently, he has had to be on-hand to provide support for his mom as well as his wife and daughter.
“That changed me in a lot of different ways,” cash says. “It made me mature quicker. My mom used to go to him and talk to him all the time about things. Now, I feel that she can come to me and talk to me about anything. I think that’s really big.”
In the Wolfpack’s 2009 media guide, Cash lists his mother as his hero.
“My mom’s still around and she’s the greatest,” he says. “She talks to my wife more than she talks to me. She calls and asks me how everything’s going and if I’m still healthy because I’m always getting nicked up a little bit. She’ll ask me, ‘Are you still healthy?’ And I’ll say, ‘Yeah.’ We just chat for a while, and I tell her goodnight and I love her.”
Coming out of Varina High School in Richmond, Va., Cash was a 6-1, 280-pounder who recorded 63 tackles, 13 for losses and six sacks during an all-star senior season. He was a first-team all-state selection by the Virginia coaches association, second-team by the Associated Press, and the central Virginia player of the year by VirginiaPreps.com.
He grew up a Virginia Tech fan, but neither of the in-state ACC schools gave him so much as a second look. He made an early commitment to Michigan State, then backed out of that when former NC State coach Chuck Amato’s staff contacted him about playing for the Wolfpack. Whatever reservations the Hokies and Cavaliers had about Cash were not shared by the staff at NC State.
“A lot of people thought I was undersized, saying I was soo short to play D-tackle or somewhere on the D-line,” Cash says. “At first, Michigan State was the only school that offered me [a scholarship] and I was gonna go there, but State came in at the last minute.”
The lack of attention from Virginia Tech bothered Cash at first.
“I took several unofficial visits up there,” he says. “In the end they said I was too short, so I just said, okay. I grew up a Virginia Tech fan, and it was pretty disappointing. So when I came here to State, I thought, ‘We’re going to play them. I’m going to prove them wrong.’”
Ironically, Cash is in his fifth season in Raleigh and has yet to step on the field against Virginia Tech. He redshirted in 2005, and as fate would have it the Wolfpack and Hokies have not met on the gridiron since then. He’ll finally get his chance a week from now when NC State travels to Blacksburg.
“I’ve had good games against Virginia, but I’ve never played Virginia Tech,” Cash says. “I was beginning to think I was never going to get to play them. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll have a lot of family there. They’re already trying to book their tickets.”
Most football players seem like entirely different people away from the playing field, but few go through more of a transition on game day than NC State defensive tackle Alan-Michael Cash.
On the field, Cash is the proverbial bull in a China shop. A stalwart on the Wolfpack’s defensive line for the last 30 games, Cash is the D-line’s top tackler. Through the Florida State game, Cash had 40 tackles, including 32 primary stops. He also had five tackles for losses, two sacks, 10 quarterback pressures, and had caused a fumble.
Cash’s personal goal on game day is to cause damage.
“A lot of damage,” he says.
Cash has achieved that goal many times in his career with the Wolfpack. Earlier this season he saved the Wolfpack’s victory over Pittsburgh with a key quarterback pressure as the Panthers were trying to tie the game on fourth-and-goal at the end of the game.
The following week he had a team-high nine tackles, two of them sacks for 10 yards in losses, at Wake Forest, then had another nine tackles and four quarterback pressures the following week vs. Duke. He led the team with seven tackles at Boston College, and two of those were for losses totalling seven yards.
Cash’s performance this season is hardly a surprise. He entered the season as a preseason second-team All-ACC pick by Athlon magazine, based on his strong junior campaign in 2008. Cash notched at least an assisted tackle for loss in six of the season’s final seven games, including three sacks.
“I think I’ve performed well,” he says, something of an understatement. “There’s always room for improvement, though, which is something I need to take advantage of. I just try to do everything the coaches teach me, watch film, do everything I’m told, work out real hard. I’m a very hard worker, and that’s really about it. If you work hard, you’ll be successful. That’s how I feel.”
Away from the field, Cash is the picture of tranquility. A parks, recreation and tourism major, his idea of fun away from football is to spend a relatively quiet night at home with his wife Natasha and their four-year-old daughter Jaida.
That sort of domestication might not work for most 22-year-olds, especially 22-year-old college football players, but being married and responsible for a family has given Cash some much-appreciated stability in his life.
“Being married definitely changes you life,” Cash says. “ It allows me to focus more on school and football. Before I got married, I would go out and hang out with the fellas all the time. Now that my wife and daughter live here, I know that I have responsibilities, so I just stay home and play the father and husband role.”
After a hard afternoon on the practice field, there are times when going home and playing the father role for a four-year-old. When she was younger he would spend hours reading stories to her. Nowadays, she seldom sits still long enough for stories. Running around like a little kid and watching TV have taken the place of stories.
“She’s a wild little girl,” Cash says. “She runs around a lot. She’s very energetic. I don’t read those same stories to her anymore because I get tired of reading the same book over and over. She just watches TV now and falls asleep. I just love her to death. Everything I’m doing now, I’m doing it for her.”
Part of Cash’s matrurity came about the hard way. Two years ago his father died, leaving him as the man of the family. Consequently, he has had to be on-hand to provide support for his mom as well as his wife and daughter.
“That changed me in a lot of different ways,” cash says. “It made me mature quicker. My mom used to go to him and talk to him all the time about things. Now, I feel that she can come to me and talk to me about anything. I think that’s really big.”
In the Wolfpack’s 2009 media guide, Cash lists his mother as his hero.
“My mom’s still around and she’s the greatest,” he says. “She talks to my wife more than she talks to me. She calls and asks me how everything’s going and if I’m still healthy because I’m always getting nicked up a little bit. She’ll ask me, ‘Are you still healthy?’ And I’ll say, ‘Yeah.’ We just chat for a while, and I tell her goodnight and I love her.”
Coming out of Varina High School in Richmond, Va., Cash was a 6-1, 280-pounder who recorded 63 tackles, 13 for losses and six sacks during an all-star senior season. He was a first-team all-state selection by the Virginia coaches association, second-team by the Associated Press, and the central Virginia player of the year by VirginiaPreps.com.
He grew up a Virginia Tech fan, but neither of the in-state ACC schools gave him so much as a second look. He made an early commitment to Michigan State, then backed out of that when former NC State coach Chuck Amato’s staff contacted him about playing for the Wolfpack. Whatever reservations the Hokies and Cavaliers had about Cash were not shared by the staff at NC State.
“A lot of people thought I was undersized, saying I was soo short to play D-tackle or somewhere on the D-line,” Cash says. “At first, Michigan State was the only school that offered me [a scholarship] and I was gonna go there, but State came in at the last minute.”
The lack of attention from Virginia Tech bothered Cash at first.
“I took several unofficial visits up there,” he says. “In the end they said I was too short, so I just said, okay. I grew up a Virginia Tech fan, and it was pretty disappointing. So when I came here to State, I thought, ‘We’re going to play them. I’m going to prove them wrong.’”
Ironically, Cash is in his fifth season in Raleigh and has yet to step on the field against Virginia Tech. He redshirted in 2005, and as fate would have it the Wolfpack and Hokies have not met on the gridiron since then. He’ll finally get his chance a week from now when NC State travels to Blacksburg.
“I’ve had good games against Virginia, but I’ve never played Virginia Tech,” Cash says. “I was beginning to think I was never going to get to play them. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll have a lot of family there. They’re already trying to book their tickets.”
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