NC State fans found out in simple fashion who was going to be the starting quarterback for the opener against East Carolina.

The Wolfpack didn’t go with a splashy social media announcement or wait for head coach Dave Doeren to step in front of a microphone to make a big unveiling. It just released its depth chart, and it showed for the first time since signing the class of 2008’s Mike Glennon’s two-year run from 2011-12, NC State will have a starter at the position that inked with the Wolfpack coming out of high school.

And it’s a local product: Raleigh Wakefield’s Matt McKay.

The redshirt sophomore earned the nod after outclassing redshirt sophomore Bailey Hockman, a Florida State transfer, and redshirt freshman Devin Leary in the three areas in which the Pack’s evaluated them:

• Mastery of the offense

• Situational football IQ

• Recognizing defenses

“Matt’s accuracy, his leadership and his ability to really protect the team with his decision-making and his consistent play really is what prevailed,” Doeren detailed. “We looked at a million things, on the field, off the field with the teammates, all the different statistics that you guys are aware of.

“But the thing that was fun was just watching all the guys improve. I think [quarterbacks] Coach [Kurt] Roper has done a really nice job. I’m excited about the progress.”

Doeren said the decision was made late last week and the players were told Sunday. Ultimately the advantage that McKay built up in the spring over the other two might have proved too much for them to overcome.

“I wanted to give Bailey and Devin every opportunity I could to improve, and I’d say that they have,” Doeren said. “I think Bailey really came on towards the end of camp. It’s just over a complete body of work.

“They were great. They both understand it. They were both motivated to continue to improve. They’re young, that’s the thing.

“Bailey was awesome: ‘Coach I was a fourth-teamer as a freshman, I was a third-teamer, now I am in the second position. I want to be first and I am going to keep working to get there.’”

There are no plans to get the other quarterbacks into the game for a set series against ECU Saturday. Doeren doesn’t want McKay playing with fear of a quick hook.

“There’s going to be mistakes,” Doeren said. “Whoever it is. You got to let them try to get into the flow of the game and learn from what is going on.”

McKay is not the only young player likely to go through the growing pains from time to time. Doeren noted that of the depth chart is littered with underclassmen. Of the 61 players whose names appeared on it, over half (36) are either freshmen or sophomores.

“There are nine guys that are going to be starting for their first time in this game,” Doeren said. “…Last year I had eight grad students that were seniors starting for me. Now I have really eight seniors.”

Doeren said there were mistakes made every day at camp, and to help reiterate to the team the importance of staying focused, they showed them clips from this past weekend’s games of Miami-Florida and Arizona-Hawaii to show how costly those sloppy mistakes can be, especially early in the season.

“We’re going to have youthful moments, but I am excited to go through that with these guys and help them grow so we can work through it,” Doeren said. “I am not saying these things to be pessimistic at all. I’m excited about these guys.

“It’s just a different team. They are very hungry.”

Audio and video of Doeren's press conference are below:

• Fifth-year senior offensive tackle Tyrone Riley will miss the season with an unspecified injury. The Wolfpack is applying for a sixth year of eligibility.

Riley is the third offensive tackle to go down since the summer. Jalynn Strickland took a medical redshirt, and Kendall Brown left the squad. In light of the hit in depth, redshirt freshman defensive tackle Derrick Eason was moved to offensive tackle for insurance.

Doeren noted that both four-star true freshmen defensive tackles Joshua Harris and C.J. Clark are expected to come back from injuries soon.

“We have depth inside that is going to be coming back to the roster whereas the o-line we don’t,” Doeren said.

A pair of true freshmen in Ikem Ekwonu and Timothy McKay are currently the other backups to fifth-year senior Emanuel McGirt Jr. and redshirt junior Justin Witt at tackle.

“We’re really excited about this freshmen class [at offensive line], really excited,” Doeren said. “It’s as good as I’ve been around, but you don’t just want to have freshmen in it. Giving us one more guy there I thought gives us the best thing we can do right now.”

Elsewhere on the offensive line, redshirt sophomore Grant Gibson was named the starter at center and redshirt junior Joe Sculthorpe at left guard, but Doeren noted that redshirt sophomore Bryson Speas had a great camp and will play too at guard while Sculthorpe can slide over to center.

• Redshirt freshman Joseph Boletepeli has won a starting job at defensive end after Doeren noted he used last year to get acclimated and build up his 6-foot-4, 262-pound frame under strength coach Dantonio “Thunder” Burnette.

“I think he was all over the place mentally a little bit last year like a lot of freshmen are,” Doeren said. “Thunder and those guys recognized him as one of those guys this summer that has worked really hard.”

Doeren likes the rotation at defensive end. He particularly praised the development of redshirt sophomore Ibrahim Kante and said that the staff views him as a starter, and noted that true freshman Savion Jackson “is doing some things that not a lot of freshmen are doing.”

• Freshman receiver Keyon Lesane’s approach helped him win the starting kickoff returner nod.

“He’ll tell you he likes running the football probably more than catching it,” Doeren said. “As a returner he’s one of those guys that’ll just go. Some guys dance. He’ll hit it. It’s nice to have a guy like that’ll run through it.”

• The Wolfpack is watching film of James Madison last year, whom NC State opened the 2018 campaign with a 24-13 win, for schemes. That JMU staff is now largely the new staff at East Carolina, including new head coach Mike Houston.

“Tough guy, straight shooter, guy that takes a lot of pride in where he’s from,” Doeren described Houston. “I think he’s a guy that probably fits really well at that university and will do a great job there.”

Doeren also noted this is not the same ECU team NC State walloped 58-3 in the regular season finale, especially on offense where several key starters, including quarterback Holton Ahlers, did not play. Hence Doeren expected a physical, four-quarter game against the Pirates.

Doeren does not suspect that the final score will mean much from a motivational standpoint either.

“Once the ball is kicked, it’s about executing,” he added. “That may carry you through a workout, give you a good pep talk, whatever it is, but it’s still going to come down to executing a game.

"They’re not what they were last year. They are going to be a lot better. I know that. Our team knows that.”

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