Quarterback Matt McKay to transfer from NC State
Matt McKay started the first five games of the season at quarterback for N.C. State.
He’ll finish his college football career somewhere else. The third-year sophomore from Raleigh announced his decision to transfer on Twitter on Sunday.
McKay played once, at Boston College on Oct. 19, in the final seven games after he lost the starting job.
He completed 86 of 150 passes for 910 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. The 6-4, 214-pound sophomore also ran 25 times for 63 yards with four touchdowns.
Unless he leaves as a graduate transfer, McKay will have to sit out the 2020 season and will have one season of eligibility remaining.
McKay put up big numbers as a runner and passer as a prep star at Wakefield. He redshirted his first season in 2017 and served as Ryan Finley’s backup in 2018.
He won the starting job in a three-way competition in August with sophomore Bailey Hockman and freshman Devin Leary.
McKay’s best game was the season-opening 34-6 win over East Carolina. He completed 25 of 37 passes for 308 yards with a touchdown. He also ran for a pair of touchdowns.
N.C. State coach Dave Doeren valued McKay’s decision-making and ability to take care of the ball but McKay struggled to throw the ball down the field and, after the opener, to effectively run the ball.
McKay was benched in the first quarter of a 31-13 loss at Florida State on Sept. 28 for Hockman. Leary eventually replaced Hockman in the first quarter of the Boston College loss on Oct. 19 and started the final five games.
Along with Leary and Hockman, N.C. State has freshman Ty Evans, who redshirted this season, on the roster. Ben Finley, the younger brother of the Wolfpack’s starting quarterback from 2016-19, has also committed in the 2020 recruiting class.
This story was originally published December 1, 2019 at 3:50 PM.
