Devin Leary Not Surprised By Offensive Rhythm To Start Spring Practice
NC State quarterback Devin Leary met with the media to discuss the start of spring practice, his grasp of the offense, and much more!
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.
A lot of us noticed the excitement that was going on out there. A lot of pep to everybody's step, or whatever, and a lot of rhythm too. Were you surprised at the rhythm that you guys had on offense?
No, I wasn't surprised at all. Coming back for a veteran team, a lot of guys that played a lot of football, we expect to pick back up right where we started. Last year we didn't really get a full closure on our season, so a lot of guys were anticipating this practice.
You still have some experienced guys as your playmakers. Obviously, the running backs, you still have to work with a little bit, but when you look at the wide receiver unit, how good is this unit that's still around you?
It's incredible. It's really exciting to see guys like Devin Carter, Thayer, Porter, being able to move them around.Then guys like Keyon Lesane, Daryl [Jones] coming in.
Just every single day, the experience that they have in this room is reflected on all the young guys, and each and every day, they're all getting better and better.
This is your first chance to really see them out there on the field, but what is your impression of Daryl Jones so far?
He's an awesome teammate. Ever since he got here, he's been eager to learn. He's been asking a lot of questions. He's played at the power five level. He understands that it's a process. He's asking Devin Carter questions every day, asking Thayer, asking me. I'm excited for him to continue to get better.
How much did the idea of unfinished business kind of fuel everybody that came back to be back on this roster?
Yeah, it was exciting. We knew that with the talent that we have on our roster and with the amount of people that were able to come back, we could do something very special. Obviously, today was just a start. We just have to keep building day-by-day.
Is it weird having everybody in on that idea, though -- as far as media, fans, and people nationally are talking about you?
I don't think it's weird. I think it's expected. When you have a veteran roster, when you have a bunch of guys coming back, the expectations rise. It's just about exceeding those expectations.
At this point now [are] you able read coach Beck’s mind?
Yeah. We meet every single day. The quarterbacks meet the most out of every position group. So we're just constantly asking coach Beck a ton of questions.
He's constantly feeding us, being able to expand our knowledge just in general football. And as me, Ben, and Zo get more and more comfortable with the system, he's able to let us loose a little bit more.
So, that's been really good.
What does loose in 2022 look like?
Just being able to expand more on offense. Just being able to develop the system more. Being able to make better checks, being able to see different pressures, getting us out of [a] bad place -- and football, you're constantly learning.
It's a game that I'm striving to learn more and more every day. So, just being able to pick coach Beck's brain for now my third season with him has just been incredible.
What are you trying to accomplish during this spring period here?
So my goal every day is just to uplift my teammates and understand that we have to win each and every day. We can't look too far ahead. We can't look at mistakes that we've made throughout practice. You just got to go 1-0, like we like to say – if as long as we can win that rep, win the day. We're just going to completely keep stacking on days and days.
Do you notice how they're paying attention to you a little bit more or maybe just giving you a little bit more respect because [of] your experience as a leader of this team?
Yeah, I think really ever since last year too, being named a captain, I've earned a lot of respect of my teammates, and just continue to fulfill that role, continue to lead by example, continue to be that first guy on the field with great energy every day, being able to uplift younger guys. I just think year-by-year and day-by-day, continues to grow the respect within all my teammates.
Are you embracing that role even more now? As time goes on?
Yes. Absolutely.
What has it been like to see Ickey go through this process? And obviously you hope to go through it in the future yourself, but what are you kind of learning, and how happy are you for Ickey?
Yeah, I'm extremely happy. I mean being a teammate with Ickey, we all knew what type of player he was. We all knew what type of person he was. So for him to get this national attention isn't really a surprise to me.
No. 1 overall; did you guys see that coming?
I did. He's an incredible talent. The things that he does on that field, you can't teach, on top of a football player, just the type of person that he is, the type of energy that he brings, the type of just positive type of guy. He's a first-class teammate.
What would you say to the quarterback who's about to get him?
You're welcome.
He's always going to protect wherever they put him on an offensive line. That's the thing about Ickey. He will do whatever the coach asks him to do, whether it's guard, tackle, center – anywhere on the offensive line he's going to do as best as he can. He puts everything on film.
Which position would you, if you were in the NFL and you were drafting him, which one would you want him at?
Well, I'd probably be a little biased having him my left tackle last year. I would say probably left tackle for me personally, but the NFL's a little bit different. Guys are a little bit bigger, a little bit faster, so wherever he fits the best position in whatever system that needs him, I feel like he'll be outstanding.