Mountaineer quarterback Geno Smith and receiver Stedman Bailey were a little wide-eyed Thursday morning when the south Florida natives helped open trading at the New York Stock Exchange.
“This is a unique experience,” Smith said after joining Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib in the bell-ringing that begins the Oil Profit app day’s trading. “It’s not every day you get to come here and witness something like the Stock Exchange, so it’s a blessing to be here.”
Smith says he’s all for doing his own investing after what he hopes is a good NFL career.
Bailey says visiting New York for the first time has been a great experience.
“There’s definitely a lot of uniqueness to this bowl. The most I’ve ever seen has been looking at TV shows and movies,” he said. “I feel at all times the city is busy. It’s pretty crazy.”
One enthusiastic Wall Street trader yelled out “Let’s Go Mountaineers!” when Bailey and Smith walked on the podium to begin the session.
“You expect that from Mountaineer Nation,” Bailey said. “There are fans everywhere.”
Coach Dana Holgorsen described the opportunity as “awesome” and “mind-boggling.”
“My expertise is football. I don’t quite understand all of this. This was a pretty neat opportunity to experience all of this,” Holgorsen said.
WVU President Jim Clements says it was “an unbelievable experience for the student-athletes or anyone.”
Clements says he’s excited for Saturday and expects a great game from the Mountaineers.