NC State football’s Anthony Belton: Get to know the hater of orcas and wasted water bottles

Anthony Belton is a big guy. Standing at 6-foot-6 and about 340 pounds, he takes up a lot of space in the world and hasn’t seen the “little days” in a long time.

The N.C. State offensive lineman understands why that’s the first thing people notice . He started as a wide receiver until he hit a growth spurt in middle school, moving to linebacker to the O-line. Belton doesn’t know where he got his height, noting his mother is roughly 5-foot-8 and his biological father is about 6-foot-1. Maybe osmosis with his 6-foot-6 step dad?

Belton, however, desires for people to see who he is beyond the football field. knows they mostly see him doing “mean things” to other players, but he’s a guy who likes to laugh and can converse with anyone.

“I want people to know that I’m a very nice person,” Belton said. “It’s like everytime I go out somewhere, people just stare and look. You can come up and say something. You can say, ‘Hey.’

“I feel like some people are scared, but we’re really, really nice people.”

It’s certainly cliche, but Belton seems to fit the “gentle giant” term well. In fact, conversation with Belton is easy. In an interview, he talked about football – most of the questions started that way – before sharing random thoughts and anecdotes from his daily life.

Call me Escalade

First, he shared that his top three nicknames are Escalade, Moose and AB (for obvious reasons).

Director of strength and conditioning Dantonio Burnette named Belton Escalade for his size and movement. The redshirt junior recalled Burnette saying he moves well for something his size, like the vehicle.

Then, he picked up the nickname Moose from his fellow offensive linemen. The Pack earned a spot in the 2021 Holiday Bowl against UCLA. Belton was expected to play for the first time. Called his mom and everything. Then, the game was canceled.

“They called me moose, because I was bummed out about it,” Belton said.

That trip wasn’t all sad, though. The team traveled to San Diego – the game was supposed to be at Petco Park – and ended up having a lot of fun. Belton listed that trip as one of his favorite memories.

“It’s always been easy for us to bond, but I feel like just us getting away from football – just going to SeaWorld, the zoo – you’re able to see everyone’s inner kid,” Belton said. “For me, it’s just the people that made the memories.”

That led into a brief foray into his aquatic experiences. Belton loves the pool and will jump off the diving board no problem. He’s also enjoyed some lake trips, going tubing and boating with the Pack.

Say no to the ocean

Despite being larger than the average human, he doesn’t mess with the ocean. Belton enjoys the beach and isn’t embarrassed to admit he stays on land. Any contact with water comes from knee level and below. No one will catch him swimming out to a buoy or those random sand patches in the ocean.

He’s not a fan of jellyfish, stingrays, sharks or anything that can cause bodily harm. Belton emphasized his dislike of orcas, commonly known as killer whales.

“Personally, I don’t like them. They’re scary,” Belton said. “They’re smart, but they’re scary. They’re not meant for me.”

When asked if he’d ever go out on a boat, similar to what he does at the lake, Belton was clear. He’s seen the recent videos of the animals attacking boats.

“Mmmm, no. You couldn’t pay me to do that,” Belton said. “I love my life too much.”

If an orca ever got close to shore – a hypothetical situation – the Tallahassee local said he wouldn’t ever be far enough into the ocean to be attacked. He’d be building sandcastles.

And, if there was a freak accident where one ended up on the beach? Everyone is on their own. Sorry to his teammates, but Escalade isn’t fighting a killer whale.

“I’m leaving anybody and everybody who’s with me and looking out for myself,” Belton said.

Oh, and he definitely doesn’t want “Orca” to be a new nickname, either.

Dishing on the O-line room

Belton shared other thoughts, too, throwing his fellow Wolfpackers under the bus. He casually criticized the other N.C. State athletes for setting condiment bottles up, as opposed to lid side down, at their back to school cookout.

He lightly roasted the offensive line room, as well, noting its inability to finish a water bottle before getting another one.

“It’s a pet peeve and that’s a waste of money. I hate that. Everybody does it in here,” Belton said, pointing around the room. “It’s bad. See that one? If that’s Tim (McKay’s) seat, it’s definitely open. Tim always opens them and doesn’t finish them.”

Belton also discussed: his laundry, fluffy towels, how Target in Cary is too busy, and plans to trash his fabric softener after learning it’s not actually good to use.

He shared about his love of cranberry juice and efforts to swap out turkey bacon for pork, too. Oh, and a hotdog is not a sandwich, but he won’t eat them – after seeing a Netflix documentary – unless it’s a last resort.

This might not be the interview fans expect to get from a football player, with all of its twists and turns and random thoughts, but it’s the best kind. Belton likes showing off his personality and hopes fans feel more connected – to him and to the team.

“I bring pure joy and excitement. We’re playing college football. A lot of people don’t get to do that,” Belton said. “I’m just happy to be here, honestly. I’m living the dream.”