Matthew McKay named starting QB for opener
Matthew McKay came out of spring practice as the front-runner for the job as NC State's starting quarterback this season. Monday, he ended preseason camp the same way.
Coach Dave Doeren announced that the redshirt sophomore will be under center for he Wolfpack's season opener against East Carolina on Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium.
It's a decision Doeren said was based on McKay's performance in practice and experience as the only quarterback in the program with actual game experience. He beat out Florida State transfer Bailey Hockman, who is listed second on State's first regular season depth chart, and redshirt freshman Devin Leary in a three-way battle for the starting job.
"Matt's accuracy, his leadership, ability to really protect the team with his decision making, and his consistent play really is what prevailed," Doeren said Monday at his first weekly press conference of the new season.
"You can look at, we do anyway, the quarterbacks in three ways -- your offensive system, their mastery that; their situational IQ, how they apply the game of football to situational football; and then their ability to recognize defensive structure. Throughout the spring, this is an area that Matt has just had a lead."
Doeren said that the competition for the starting job went right down to the wire and that he wanted to give both Hockman and Leary legitimate chance at winning the job.
He said that Hockman has made significant progress since arriving last spring, but that in the end, the relationships McKay has already forged with his receivers and offensive linemen, along with factors "behind the scenes" led to him winning the job.
"I wanted to give Bailey and Devin every opportunity I could to improve and I would say that they have," Doeren said. "I think Bailey really came on towards the end of camp. It's just, you know, over a complete body of work."
Although Doeren left open the possibility of using more than one quarterback depending on the circumstance, he said he's not going to have a short leash on McKay in an effort to let him grow into the job. He added, however, that because none of the three have seen meaningful snaps at this level, the future of the position as the season progresses is still up in the air.
McKay, a 6-4, 210-pound graduate of Raleigh's Wakefield High School, completed 7 of 8 passes for 87 yards with a rushing touchdown in six mopup appearances last year, including games against national champion Clemson and Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl.
