N.C. State needs to start Devin Leary now

Dave Doeren’s spineless decision to start Bailey Hockman is keeping N.C. State from being great.

N.C. State football has limped to a 4-2 record to start the 2019 season, mostly due to the lackluster quarterback play. When the team has won this season, it’s done it through the playmaking of Thayer Thomas (see punt return vs Ball State or double pass vs Syracuse) or by overpowering a weaker Group of 5 or FCS team.

In fact, Thomas now has more touchdown passes (two) than the current starting quarterback Bailey Hockman. Between Hockman and former starter Matt McKay, N.C. State starting quarterbacks have combined to complete a shade over 57% of their passes for four touchdowns, three interceptions and a measly six yards per attempt.

If those numbers sound bad, well they are. N.C. State is 96th in the nation in completion percentage, 107th in passing touchdowns per game and is only outperforming Boston College and Georgia Tech right now in ACC passing. A reminder, this is all with Thomas’ two touchdown passes. Eliminate those and the numbers get even worse.

In his press conference on Monday, Doeren stressed the importance of allowing Hockman to continue to improve, completely ignoring the fact that he has what appears to be a clearly defined ceiling as a passer.

Doeren also seems to be ignoring the fact that almost everyone in Wolfpack Nation can see: Devin Leary should be given the chance to be this team’s starting quarterback.

For Doeren, McKay and Hockman represent the safe quarterback option. You’re never going to get NFL-caliber talent or plays from them but you won’t experience any of the severe lows that come with breaking in a raw, immature decision-maker at quarterback.

Of the three, Leary clearly has the best arm-talent. The ball shoots out of his hand like a cannon, making him capable of completing some throws his limited counterparts just can’t.

Leary made a terrific back-shoulder throw to Thomas running up the seam and appeared to give the Wolfpack offense life during his only drive. A dropped pass and holding call derailed what had the looks of points for the Wolfpack.

Here’s Devin Leary’s good shot to Thayer Thomas for 23 yards pic.twitter.com/mO8sXSAHLN

If Doeren were to give Leary the reins, he’d be admitting 2019 is a building year. It’s a fact that everyone in Wolfpack Nation except for Doeren seems to know. The Wolfpack defense is young and getting more talented. The skill positions on offense are full of underclassmen. Why not give the most talented quarterback on the roster the opportunity to grow now and use it as a springboard to vault this roster forward when it fully matures?

An Example in the Wolfpack’s Backyard

If Doeren wants a model of how the quarterback situation could look, he need not look far. North Carolina turned to a talented but raw freshman quarterback in Sam Howell to kickstart their rebuild. The short-term results have been uneven but it is clear to see that the Tar Heels have their quarterback for the foreseeable future and will benefit from allowing him to go through his growing pains this season.

After leading the Tar Heels to wins over South Carolina and Miami (FL) to start the season, Howell threw for only 15 yards in the first half against Wake Forest. The Tar Heels chalked it up to growing pains and have accepted that this season will be up-and-down. That sure beats the alternative, which is willfully accepting mediocre, something the Doeren seems all-too comfortable with doing this season.

Leary’s time is now

N.C. State will trot out Hockman on Saturday against a beat-up and struggling Boston College squad that will be without its starting quarterback. It may win and Hockman may play a steady, mistake-free football game. If the Wolfpack can get there, eight wins this season will be hailed as a monumental success and this staff will boast and brag. And we’ll head into an offseason where we will question who the starting quarterback will be.

The defense will lose three starters on the defensive line and two starters in the secondary. The Wolfpack can do what it always does, feast on weak non-conference games and the ACC bottom-feeders, but get no closer to Charlotte or competing with the big dogs in the ACC.

Having a dynamic, strong-armed playmaker at the quarterback position could change that trajectory. Starting Leary would give the team a chance to be great, not just average.

Starting Hockman is the no-risk decision, the one that gets Doeren easily to a bowl game and to another contract. It’s a spineless decision that is unfair to the fans and to the players on this current Wolfpack team that are playing well enough to be better than average.