Spring starts with a lot of new for NC State football
Much will be different for N.C. State’s football team next season but spring practice opened on Saturday with a quarterback in a green No. 15 jersey.
So not everything has changed for Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack.
No, quarterback Ryan Finley didn’t sneak back on the field for the Wolfpack after three years as the starter. He’s at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, but the Wolfpack churns on with four candidates to replace him, including freshman Ty Evans who has taken over the No. 15.
When Evans was requested for interviews after practice, his response was to make sure the media had asked for the right quarterback.
“They know Ryan is gone, right?” Evans asked.
Finley and three other all-ACC starters need to be replaced on the offense. Doeren’s coaching staff has been remodeled and there are 16 early enrollees from the most recent recruiting class in spring practice. That’s a lot of “new” for the Wolfpack in Doeren’s seventh season.
“There’s obviously some new parts and those guys are excited to be here and you could feel their energy on the field,” Doeren said.
The majority of N.C. State’s newcomers should still be in high school.
“I should be planning for prom,” Evans joked.
The potential of the newcomers from a top-30 recruiting class is obvious even without pads on. Freshman running back Bam Knight and freshman linebacker Drake Thomas look like they’ve already spent years in Dantonio Burnette’s strength program instead of only eight weeks.
The two prizes of the recruiting class on the defensive line, tackle Joshua Harris and end Savion Jackson, are also physically mature beyond their years.
But those will be the standouts and stars down the road. The immediate future for this group, which does have seven starters back on defense and kicker Chris Dunn — an all-important piece of the puzzle — is less clear.
The quarterback competition will gather the most attention between now and the spring game on April 6. The quarterback drills looked like an assembly line on Saturday with four hopefuls for the job.
Sophomore Matt McKay worked with the first group in the practice drills that were open to the media. McKay was Finley’s backup and played mostly in mop-up duty in six games in 2018. The Wakefield High product completed 7 of 8 passes for 87 yards. He also ran 13 times for 36 yards with a touchdown.
“I just feel really confident,” McKay said. “I just know what I’m seeing and trust in my training. I feel like it’s my job to lead this team.”
Finley, who threw for 3,928 yards and 25 touchdowns, handled all of the heavy lifting last season and the previous two years as the starter. Devin Leary redshirted last season but impressed in practice with his arm strength and savvy.
Bailey Hockman, who began his career at Florida State, enrolled in January after a season in junior college. He went through a quarterback competition last August at FSU against Deondre Francois and James Blackman.
Evans, a true freshman, enrolled early and ended up with the same number as Finley after a phone call with Doeren. Evans wore No. 18 in high school in Colorado but that number was Roman Gabriel’s at N.C. State and it is retired.
Doeren asked Evans if he would be OK with the No. 15.
“I’m good with whatever you tell me,” Evans told Doeren. “You want me to be 99 or 0, I will wear whatever. I’m just happy to be here.”
As Doeren noted, Evans and the group get a “clean slate” with new quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper.
Roper, a former Duke assistant, was hired to replace Eli Drinkwitz, who is now the head coach at Appalachian State. Roper is one of four new assistants on Doeren’s staff.
“He’s the right guy for the job,” Doeren said of Roper. “I’m excited for him. I’m looking forward to just kind of being there for him and those guys through this because it’s going to take time.”
Just as it will take time to figure out all of the new faces and pieces, but Saturday was the start of that process.
Meet N.C. State’s new quarterback option behind Ryan Finley
Appalachian State hires N.C. State assistant Eli Drinkwitz as new football coach
This story was originally published March 2, 2019 at 4:24 PM.
