Spring football practice for NC State will start March 2, with the spring game at 1 p.m. April 9 at Carter-Finley Stadium. The ACC Network will show the game at 7 p.m.
The Wolfpack Central will start taking a look at the position groups this spring and summarize where NC State stands. Today, the quarterback position takes center stage, followed by the offensive line.
Quarterback
Redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary was still an unknown commodity a year ago due to his injury suffered against Duke.
The 6-1, 212-pound Leary became the face of the program in going 283-of-431 passing for 3,433 yards, 35 touchdowns and five interceptions last year. Leary passed for over 300 yards in six games, including a season-high 408 yards and four touchdowns in the 45-42 loss at Wake Forest on Nov. 13. He also tossed four touchdowns in five games, including four of the last five games last year.
Leary also went six straight games where he didn’t throw an interception. The biggest improvement Leary showed from his abbreviated 2020 campaign was learning to throw the ball away and live another day. That led to cutting down on taking risks that could lead to turnovers.
Leary played in four games in 2020, where he threw for 890 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions.
Projected starter: Redshirt junior Devin Leary.
Projected backup: Redshirt freshman Ben Finley.
Comments: It’s hard to nit-pick Leary, but the next step is to make more throws out of the pocket, and perhaps stay out of negative yardage rushing the ball — 54 carries for minus-73 yards and two scores last year.
The battle for the backup spot was supposed to be the drama of the spring, but freshman Aaron McLaughlin elected to transfer last week, conceding the backup job to redshirt freshman Ben Finley. That leaves just Leary and Finley as scholarship quarterbacks this spring.
Finley went 5-of-9 passing for 28 yards last year, and he rushed twice for seven yards. The 6-3, 201-pounder, who is the younger brother of former NC State quarterback Ryan Finley, played extensively against North Carolina his first freshman year. He went 13-of-20 for 143 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Incoming freshman M.J. Morris arrives next summer and he’ll battle Finley for the chance to eventually replace Leary, who likely will turn professional after next year.
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