Sure the Wolfpack has Devin Leary. But what if the unthinkable happens ... again?
This is the final installment of an 8-part series of the News & Observer and Herald Sun position-by-position examination of N.C. State’s football depth chart leading into the season opener on Thursday at Carter-Finley Stadium.
There were N.C. State fans who thought Ben Finley should have been given the keys to the car last season.
The logic was, insert Finley, perhaps the quarterback of the future, into the lineup instead of Bailey Hockman. Hockman was in the lineup because Devin Leary broke his leg in October and was done for the year.
Hockman now has transferred, and Leary is back in the driver’s seat, the starting quarterback for the Wolfpack as it begins the 2021 season on Thursday against South Florida.
N.C. State fans are hoping they will only have to see Finley, a redshirt freshman, and true freshman Aaron McLaughlin in blowouts. Which brings us back to Leary. In a small sample size a year ago, Leary won two road games as a starter and looked like he was on his way to win No. 3 until the first half against Duke, when his leg snapped and Hockman had to take over.
So that raises the question: If Leary goes down again (knock on wood), what do we know about the other guys?
The reality is, not much.
Finley, the younger brother of former Wolfpack quarterback Ryan Finley, was in for just 33 plays a year ago, all against UNC. He did complete 13 of 20 passes for 143 yards and a score, but never took another snap the rest of the year. McLaughlin, a four-star recruit out of Georgia, enrolled in January and played in the spring game. He’s already built like an NFL quarterback (6-5, 230), but looked every bit like a freshman in the spring contest.
That’s what fans are left with behind Leary. Knowing first hand how important it is to stay ready, with the threat of being thrust into action always looming, Leary stays on his understudies about being prepared.
“One thing I really like about our quarterback room is that everyone is dialed in,” Leary said during a video call with the media. “Whether they are getting any reps for the day or zero reps at all, everyone is taking mental reps.”
Last season N.C. State had the luxury of having two quarterbacks (Leary, Hockman) who started games the previous season. Hockman started the first two games of 2020, but after a blowout road loss to Virginia Tech in week two, Leary took over.
Even when Leary went down, there was some relief knowing that Hockman had played meaningful snaps. Finley came in last year at UNC and looked comfortable enough that some felt he could have led the team the rest of the way. It didn’t happen. But those snaps were invaluable to his growth and offensive coordinator Tim Beck likes the steps the Arizona native took in the off season.
“Ben has picked up enough now, he’s still learning,” Beck said. “He’s still a young player, we forget that, but those guys are speaking my language in terms of how I want them to talk, how I want them to answer questions so we can move on.”
Beck acknowledged that McLaughlin is a “smart study” and has improved since the spring.
“I love his pocket presence,” Beck added. “Big, strong dude in there and he still has a lot to learn.”
Both backups have a prep pedigree that would lead you to believe they are ready for the big time. McLaughlin passed for 7,637 yards and 101 touchdowns during his career at Denmark High. He was ranked the No. 19 quarterback in the nation by 247Sports. Finley, the first commitment for the class of 2020, threw for more than 8,000 yards at Paradise Valley, with a 83.5 quarterback rating as a senior.
Though neither backup turned a lot of heads in the annual spring game, the off season has shown head coach Dave Doeren enough that he believes they can handle the job if something happens to Leary.
“There’s a greater understanding of the system for both,” Doeren said. “Ben’s changed his body, in a good way, he put on some good muscle. I think he and Aaron are both athletic guys, they don’t just throw the ball, they can run around and make some plays.”
Doeren has noticed the biggest leap Finley took from the time he arrived to now happened between the ears.
“I think the maturity part of it for Ben is the area of growth that he’s making,” Doeren said. “And still has a lot of room to grow there as a leader.”
Leary will be the day one starter, but he won’t get comfortable and mail it in. The sophomore QB told the media how much Finley and McLaughlin push him everyday. Doeren notes that all three are super competitive and that makes for a great mix in the quarterback room and on the field. While they will be holding a clipboard to start a year, watching Leary lead, the role has been reserved during some of the preseason scrimmages. Leary, QB1, feels comfortable enough with what he’s seen from Finley and McLaughlin.
“They do a great job of running this offense,” Leary said. “They do a great job of leading guys. Ben is very smart, he understands the game very well. Aaron has been doing a great job of grasping the offense. In just the short period of time that both of them have been here I’ve seen tremendous growth.”
Projected NC State quarterback depth chart
STARTERS | HEIGHT | WEIGHT |
Devin Leary (SO) | 6-1 | 212 |
RESERVES | ||
Ben Finley (FR) | 6-3 | 201 |
Aaron McLaughlin (FR) | 6-5 | 230 |
Previous NC State preview installments
Offensive line
Running backs
Defensive line
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Wide receivers
Special teams
Other Triangle ACC previews
Quarterback
Offensive line
Running back
Defensive line
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Wide receivers
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 5:15 AM with the headline "Sure the Wolfpack has Devin Leary. But what if the unthinkable happens ... again?."
