New coordinator, new offense, lots of learning this spring for NC State football
N.C. State football started its spring practice on Thursday but for quarterback Devin Leary it was a little bit like going back to ninth-grade Spanish class.
With offensive coordinator Tim Beck coming in from Texas, and teaching his own terminology, Leary and the Wolfpack offense will spend a good chunk of the spring studying.
“He’s putting in a whole new system,” Leary said. “It’s like learning a new language.”
Leary started the final five games of the 2019 season and begins the 15 spring sessions, which ends with the spring game on April 4, in the same role. Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said last week that “it’s Devin’s job and it’s up to the other guys to try to catch him.”
Bailey Hockman, who started two games, is back while Ty Evans is coming off of a redshirt season and Ben Finley is coming in after a standout prep career in Arizona.
Leary, who will be a redshirt sophomore in 2020, completed 101 of 210 passes (48.1 percent) for 1,219 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions.
He went into the last offseason chasing Matt McKay and Hockman in the quarterback race. McKay won the job and started the first five games before giving way to Hockman. McKay has since transferred to Montana State.
The leadership in the quarterback room has changed, too. Kurt Roper has moved to running backs, to take over for departed offensive coordinator Des Kitchings, and Beck was hired to replace Roper and jump-start an offense that ranked 107th in the country in scoring (22.1 points per game).
Leary said the offense needs to use the 2019 season, when the team finished 4-8, as a positive.
“Last year was a great learning experience,” Leary said. “To be able to get in-game reps was valuable and it’s going to help me.”
Leary’s best moments came when he threw three touchdowns in relief of Hockman in a road loss to Boston College. He showed an elite level of arm talent but needs to work on his accuracy. The only stat that mattered, Leary said, was that N.C. State didn’t win when he started.
“I tried to manage the game and make the right decisions but there’s nothing I’ll accept (as an individual positive) from a loss,” Leary said. “As a team, winning is our only goal.”
Leary said in addition to learning the new offense, his focus this spring is to work on pre-snap coverage recognition and is his overall mental preparation.
“You have to have a plan of where to go with the ball before the snap,” Leary said.
N.C. State’s offense will have a different look but Beck will have some familiar faces in the lineup. Ten players have starting experience from last season, including the top three rushers and four of the top five receivers.
The Wolfpack got off to a good start on Thursday and will be back on the field on Saturday. Leary said he was particularly impressed with the offensive line, which returns six players with starting experience.
“Our offensive line has really adjusted to the new terminology and they are in great shape,” Leary said. “They have been impressive.”
That’s not an accident. Beck and offensive line coach John Garrison worked together at Nebraska. N.C. State coach Dave Doeren hired five new assistants this offseason but one of his focuses in filling out the staff was finding coaches who had a strong connection.
Beck said he has studied the game film from the 2019 season but wants to form his own opinions after evaluating the players in person.
“It’s hard for me to watch Bailey or Devin in a system that’s not mine and not sure what they were coached to do and why they did it,” Beck said last week. “That’s unfair. All of that is in the back. We’re moving on.”
Note: The ACC Network will televise the spring game on April 4 at 12:30 p.m.
This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 5:05 PM.
