After a stellar season that saw him grab multiple ACC Player of the Week honors and a place on the All-ACC Second Team, despite missing more than two games due to injury, redshirt junior linebacker Terrell Manning decided to declare himself eligible for the NFL draft with one year of eligibility remaining.

Manning had some great performances over the course of the season, notching 11 tackles and one sack in the shutout against UNC and 10 tackles against BC. Manning was also one of the top performers against then No. 7 Clemson, registering eight tackles before going on to win the ACC Player of the Week for his show against Maryland, where he registered seven tackles, two of them for a loss of 11 yards and one sack for a loss of eight yards.

Manning also blocked a field-goal attempt and returned it for 21 yards and was influential in the defense shutting down Maryland for the last 25 minutes.

Manning led the ACC with 14.5 tackles for loss for a total of 65 yards as well as most fumbles forced. Manning led the ACC in fumbles recovered, as well, and had three interceptions during the year.

After spending nearly two months in Arizona preparing for the NFL Combine and draft, Technician finally caught up with Manning at Pro Day:

Q. Everybody at N.C. State has been clueless as to why you decided to leave with another year of eligibility still left. What motivated your decision?

A. I just felt like I was one of the best linebackers in the ACC this year. As everyone knows, there are many highly rated linebackers in the ACC. I felt like anybody who has watched me play compared me to those people. I have some people who agree and I have some people who disagree, I am a firm believer in that and that’s what gathered my attention.

Q. You had some injuries and surgeries in the last few years, how did that affect your decision?

A. I mean, if I had to sit with another injury, who knows what I would have ended up doing. But, at the end of the day, I was blessed to come back from the minor surgery I had this year and play as well as I did, so it definitely played a part in my decision and I think I made the right one. I played my best ball immediately after I came back from my surgery, the best I have ever played, as a matter of fact, and it worked out in my favor.

Q. Talk about how your regime has been over the past few months in Arizona.

A. It has been hectic; a lot of football, a lot of lifting. I worked out three times a day. I had a chef cooking everything for me. It was real strict. It is unlike anything I have ever done before in my life. I think it helped out a lot.

Q. Can you talk about your experience at the NFL Combine, working alongside other prospects?

A. I don’t pay a lot of attention to that. Indianapolis was one of the worst experiences I have had in my life. It was cold. They wake you up early in the morning for medicals. You had medicals all day. They expect you to perform at your highest level. It was a bad experience but I was glad I was able to do it.

Q. How did you perform at the Combine?

A. I did well, I answered a few questions. A lot of people thought I would be undersized, that I would weigh 224-225. When I was way over 237, I ran a decent 40 time, the unofficial times from what I have seen. Other than that, I think I had an overall decent performance.

Q. Were you under extra scrutiny because of the previous knee injuries?

A. That’s the thing, I didn’t. I was going through medicals pretty well. You go through every team almost and I made it to one of the last rooms before somebody was like “Hold on, lets just get our eyes on both knees.” That kept me long. They spent two hours on each leg getting MRIs. Man, I almost made it out of there but everything checked out well. They were definitely pleased with my health.

Q. Where’s your weight at now?

A. I checked it now, it’s 235.

Q. Did you get any interesting questions from the teams?

A. I got a few interesting questions, some of them I am not going to say. The craziest thing that happened was that, I have been a Carolina [Panthers] fan for a long time, I walked in to talk to Denver and John Fox [head coach of the Denver Broncos] was sitting there and John Elway [vice president of the Denver Broncos]. That’s when it hit me. It was a great experience. They ask you everything down to, “Do you drink? You have a girlfriend? When was the last time you had s…” and things like that. They get real close back there in the rooms and they fuss you out a little bit.

Q. Who did you think were some of the teams that were showing the most interest in you?

A. About every team I interviewed. Denver was one of them that showed a lot of interest, Carolina of course, Seahawks. Pete Carroll [head coach of the Seattle Seahawks] was a great guy. I had decent interviews.

Q. You have a lot of ex-teammates in the pros. Were there any you were talking about the process when you were making a decision whether to return or leave?

A. I spoke with Nate a lot about it. He made jokes last year when we were playing about me coming out. He pretty much saw it coming. Anybody I spoke to who knew me knew it would be the best for me.

Q. What was the advice he gave you?

A. Just go there with a clear mind. Don’t worry about what everybody else is saying, of course there is going to be negativity, but you just go out there and play. Do what you got to do to make it work and that’s what I am doing.