Pack Still In The Market For A Quarterback?
NC State head coach Dave Doeren was asked a variety of questions at his Signing Day press conference and several focused on the quarterback position. Obviously the media wanted to know his thoughts on Devin Leary moving on via the transfer portal to Kentucky.
“There’s a lot of things talked about and it’s really not anything I want to put out there,” Doeren said. “I was blessed to be a part of the journey with him. I really enjoyed my time with Devin. He was a great player on our team, a guy I have so much respect for as a player. I wish him nothing but the best, and the same thing for his family. I really enjoyed his family the entire time here.
“Sometimes guys make decisions, and whether you like them or not, it doesn’t matter. I wish him nothing but success.”
NC State did add one quarterback today, inking long-time commitment Lex Thomas out of Heritage High School.
“We’ve known Lex [Thomas] forever,” Doeren said. “He’s a gym rat. He’s just an all-around athlete in every sport he’s in. He’s competitive. He’s a leader. People follow him. He’s a guy that can really throw the football with great accuracy.
“We’re excited about Lex, and he did a tremendous job in this class working with guys and getting guys to want to play with him.”
The question, though, is if State will recruit another quarterback, because as of now the Pack has inexperienced returnees MJ Morris and Ben Finley along with Thomas on the roster.
"As far as recruiting another quarterback, it just depends,” Doeren replied. “We’d love to have four on our roster on scholarship. That’s kind of where you want to be, sometimes even five because of injuries. If you’ve got three you’re traveling and one you’re redshirting, that’s kind of where you want to be programmatically, but you don’t take one to take one either. It’s got to be the right one, and if we end up there, we end up there.
“We’re always trying to get competitive in every room. That’s the one thing I’ll tell you: it doesn’t matter if the quarterbacks, the running backs, the linebackers, the D-line; competition brings out the best in everybody. If we didn’t learn anything this year playing four quarterbacks to win eight games, we’d better have some guys in there that are ready to play."
The transfer portal appears to be the spot State would look to bring in a veteran. Would that be a problem given the youth on the roster?
“We’ll be up front and honest with these guys,” Doeren answered. “Coach [Robert] Anae’s been talking with them. Coach [Kurt] Roper’s been talking with them. They’ll know what we’re doing, and if there ends up being somebody new, they’ll be a part of that conversation.
“That position has to compete like every position. We don’t have a returning starter here right now that’s an all-conference player. At any position, if we’re in that, we would have an open competition with who’s back. We’re excited for M.J. [Morris]. We’re excited for Ben [Finley]. We’re excited for Lex. If we add a piece, we’ll be excited for that person as well, and I know Coach Anae feels the same way.”