NC State depth chart breakdown - quarterback: ‘QB of the future’ now under center
Devin Leary got five starts under his belt in 2019 and it was enough to let the coaches know he was the quarterback of the future.
After a carousel of signal callers lined up behind center, Dave Doeren landed on Leary to finish 2019 and, Wolfpack fans hope, lead N.C. State back to a winning season in 2020. Just a redshirt sophomore, the Sicklerville, N.J. native led the team in passing a year ago with 1,219 yards and eight touchdowns.
While those games allowed him to get a taste of what he needed to work on for this season, COVID-19 meant Leary missed valuable time in the spring and summer to build chemistry with his wideouts. He spent most of the summer in New Jersey, but was able to sneak back into North Carolina a few times to connect with his guys, get on the field and throw. Since camp started, Leary has been making up for missed time.
“For the most part we handled it very well,” Leary said. “Making sure everyone stayed in their playbooks was really key for this offseason.”
One thing Doeren pointed out is how Leary took leadership of the team, dating back to last spring when he found out he was going to be the No. 1 guy. Doeren noticed Leary became more vocal and carried himself differently, knowing the coaching staff trusted and believed in him.
“He definitely is more confident, he knows his teammates believe in him,” Doeren said. “He knows his coaches believe in him. He’s not walking around like I have to prove myself no matter what everyday … if I throw one bad pass I’m out. He’s very comfortable.”
Leary will learn from a new position coach, Tim Beck, the new offensive coordinator who came to N.C. State from Texas.
Here’s a breakdown of N.C. State’s quarterbacks:
Who is expected to start?
Leary (6-2, 212) played in eight games last season, completing just 48 percent of his passes. Part of that was being a freshman and being thrown into the fire late in the year. The coaches let him sling it, averaging 33 pass attempts per contest, but how much of that was due to the fact the Wolfpack were trailing in most games? Beck likes to use a lot of run-pass option with his quarterbacks, so it will be interesting to see how well Leary does on the ground.
Over the summer Leary worked with quarterback trainer Malcolm Bell, who feels like Leary is going to have a big year under Beck.
“I watched Texas live last year and just looking at that and looking at Devin’s skillset and the things that Beck does,” Bell said over the summer. “I think Devin can do great things in the ACC.”
Who are the key reserves?
Doeren said that junior Bailey Hockman (6-2, 208) and true freshman Ben Finley (6-3, 205) are listed behind Leary on the depth chart. The good news is Hockman played 205 snaps last season with two starts. Hockman finished with 546 yards and one touchdown. Finley, the younger brother of former Wolfpack quarterback Ryan Finley, beat out redshirt freshman Ty Evans (6-3, 200) for that third spot on the depth chart.
Who might surprise us?
Doeren probably doesn’t want to use Finley at all this year, but if Leary and Hockman go down for whatever reason, the Phoenix, Arizona rookie will be thrown into the mix. Finley enrolled in January and got a taste of the playbook, so he is probably ahead of the curve when it comes to learning Beck’s system.
“I thought Ben Finley did some good things, he had some tough days as well, but he’s very gifted,” Doeren said in the spring. “Excited about the progress he’ll be able to make.
As a senior at Paradise Valley, Finley threw for 2,119 yards and 21 touchdowns. He passed for 8,272 yards and 72 scores during his prep career.
What are the group’s strengths?
The top two quarterbacks each have valuable experience under their belts and know what it’s like to play in the ACC. Leary has a big arm and can make all the throws. Now that he’s been around the block in the league, it’ll be interesting to see what he can do with the game slowed down a bit. Confidence should also be up for Leary, knowing he won’t get yanked early if something goes wrong. He can just play and not think as much.
What are the group’s weaknesses?
You have to keep the ball off the ground and out of the hands of the other team. Leary had two games last season when he completed less than 40 percent of his passes and threw five interceptions. Hockman had more interceptions (3) than touchdown passes (1).
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 11:06 AM with the headline "NC State depth chart breakdown - quarterback: ‘QB of the future’ now under center."
