Ranking NC State's quarterbacks
NC State is often referred to as "QBU." While which schools have the best quarterbacks ever is up in the air, the Wolfpack clearly has some terrific signal-callers over the years.
But who are the best quarterbacks in NC State history?
All-Wolfpack beat writer Rob McLamb takes a crack at ranking NCSU's all-time best QBs.
1. Philip Rivers (2000-2003): At NC State, it begins with Rivers. He started every game of his career while a member of the Wolfpack. Rivers is the only NC State QB to toss for over 10 thousand yards, and his teams made a bowl appearance in each of his four seasons. NCSU has only eclipsed 10 wins in a season one time in program history, and that was Rivers' junior season in 2002 when the Pack went 11-3.
College passing stats: 1,087-of-1,710 (63.6 percent), 13,484 yards, 95 TD, 34 INT
2. Russell Wilson (2008-2010): There will always be speculation about what Wilson would have done as a senior at NC State. What is real are the numbers he put up in his three seasons with the Wolfpack and his one year with Wisconsin. In 2011 with the Badgers, he threw for 33 touchdowns and only four interceptions.
Had he been a member of NC State in 2011, he likely would have thrown the ball much more, as the Badgers had a better running attack and a bigger offensive line, so his career totals would have been on par with Rivers. That would have upped his passing totals, but his running totals were already solid. Wilson picked up over 1,000 yards on the ground with the Pack and often was its best running threat. He scored three rushing touchdowns in NC State's win over Florida State in 2010.
From 2008-2010, Wilson led the Wolfpack to two bowl appearances. As a freshman, he was the 2008 ACC Rookie of the Year. Two seasons later, he guided the Wolfpack to a nine-win season, concluding with a dominant victory over West Virginia in the 2010 Gator Bowl.
College passing stats (NC State): 682-of-1,180 (57.8 percent), 8,545 yards, 76 TDs, 26 INTs
College passing stats (total): 907-of-1,489 (60.9 percent), 11,720 yards, 109 TDs. 30 INTs
3. Roman Gabriel (1959-1961): In terms of stats, Gabriel's time in college -- like most in his era -- did not produce the gaudy numbers that quarterbacks would two or three decades later, but do not let that fool you. Gabriel was dominant with NC State. The offense centered around him, and the Wolfpack, which primarily struggled during Gabriel's stint in Raleigh, used its quarterback to good effect.
A native of Wilmington, North Carolina, Gabriel was a two-time ACC Player of the Year and two-time First Team All-American while at NC State. In 2003, the ACC named its 50th Anniversary Team, and Gabriel made the cut.
College passing stats: 285-of-506 (56.3 percent), 2,951 yards, 19 TDs, 20 INTs
4. Ryan Finley (2016-2018): Finley was not projected to be the guy under center at NC State. He was a late arrival prior to the 2016 campaign, when he left Boise State and moved to Raleigh to reunite with his offensive coordinator, Eli Drinkwitz. Finley ultimately won the starting job and did not look back.
In his final two seasons (2017-18), he guided the Wolfpack to consecutive nine-win seasons -- the first time that had happened in over 25 years. Finley is second all-time in passing yards in NC State history.
College passing stats (NC State): 880-of-1,364 (64.5 percent), 10,501 yards, 60 TDs, 25 INTs
College passing stats (total): 938-of-1,461 (64.2 percent), 11,147 yards, 63 TDs, 30 INTs
5. Jamie Barnette (1996-1999): If this were a list of quarterbacks at NC State with the most toughness and durability, Barnette would likely be at the top. The native of nearby Roxboro, North Carolina, arrived in Raleigh in 1996 and took control of the quarterback position during a time in the Wolfpack's history when the program slipped slightly after the departure of head coach Dick Sheridan. NCSU appeared in one bowl game with Barnette, a loss to Miami in the Micron PC Bowl in his senior season.
Barnette finished his career as the program's all-time leader in passing yards. In the 23 years since, only two Wolfpack players have tossed for more yards. It is hard not to wonder what he could have done under better circumstances.
College passing stats: 637-of-1,243 (51,2 percent), 9.461 yards, 59 TDs, 40 INTs
6. Devin Leary (2019-current): Leary will not finish sixth place on the all-time list of NC State quarterbacks. He will move up. How much further he climbs depends on the results in 2022.
If Leary has a campaign similar to last season, he could become the fourth player in school history to pass for at least 9,000 yards. If he takes it further and tosses for nearly 4,000 yards in 2022, there is a chance he can move into third place all-time on the NCSU career passing yards list.
Scrutiny should be given to how well NC State performs as a team this season. He has a realistic shot to be one of the best Wolfpack quarterbacks ever. If the Wolfpack wins a division or conference title, or earns a major bowl berth, that adds to Leary's legacy.
College passing stats: 450-of-751 (59.9 percent), 5,542 yards, 51 TDs, 12 INT
7. Mike Glennon (2009-2012): No one at NC State, sans the quarterback assigned to replace Philip Rivers, has ever had a more challenging assignment than Glennon -- and when considering the resentment and confusion of Russell Wilson's departure along with the coaching turmoil during his senior season, it added to the great difficulty of what Glennon faced.
He did his job. As a junior, the Wolfpack slipped only one game (nine wins in 2010 to eight wins in 2011). NCSU had its season hit a major roadblock after a bizarre homecoming drubbing at the hands of a Virginia team that was winless in the ACC at that point. It was clear afterward that a coaching change was coming, but Glennon continued to perform well and guided his team into a bowl game for the second straight season (third straight overall).
Despite only receiving token playing time in his first two seasons, Glennon is currently fifth on the all-time passing yards list at NC State. His 4,031 passing yards during the tumultuous 2012 campaign is the second-most in a season in school history.
College passing stats: 646-of-1,069 (60.4 percent), 7,411 yards, 63 TDs, 31 INTs
8. Erik Kramer (1985-1986): As he entered his senior campaign and second season at NC State after spending his first two years at the junior college level, Kramer and the Wolfpack were at a crossroads. NCSU had finished with a losing record in the previous six seasons and was starting anew under former Furman head coach Dick Sheridan.
Kramer got the job done. He was named the 1986 ACC Player of the Year, and the Wolfpack stunned the nation with an 8-3-1 record -- including the program's first bowl berth in seven years.
The Wolfpack slipped in 1987 but went to bowls in the next seven seasons afterward. Kramer helped the Wolfpack kickstart a terrific run.
College passing stats: 334-of-616 (54.2 percent), 4,602 yards, 30 TDs, 28 INTs
9. Jacoby Brissett (2014-2015): The turnaround under Dave Doeren occurred in earnest once he inserted Jacoby Brissett into the lineup as the starting quarterback for the 2014 campaign. Brissett, a transfer from Florida, would start two seasons at NC State, and he guided the Wolfpack to a five-game improvement in his first year.
Brissett could pass and run the ball, while his calm, easy-going demeanor was refreshing for teammates and fans alike. Since Brissett was named starting quarterback in 2014, NC State has earned a bowl berth in eight of nine seasons under Dave Doeren.
College passing stats (NC State): 458-of-765 (59.9 percent), 5,268 yards, 43 TDs, 11 INTs
College passing stats (total): 499-of-839 (59.5 percent), 5,723 yards, 46 TDs, 15 INTs
10. Terry Harvey (1991, 1993-1995): Harvey had some injury issues while at NC State and had to find balance as he was a member of the Wolfpack's baseball program. It was a ruthless grind, but he was excellent in both sports.
Dick Sheridan resigned in 1992, and NC State held on as a solid team for two seasons afterward. Harvey was at the helm in 1994 when the Pack rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Duke at Carter-Finley Stadium, which propelled NCSU to a berth in the Peach Bowl and a win over Mississippi State.
College passing stats: 442-of-785 (56.3 percent), 5,925 yards, 38 TDs, 28 INTs
Honorable Mention (alphabetical order): Tol Avery, Dave Buckey, Vince Evans, Terry Jordan, Shane Montgomery
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A lifelong native of the Triangle area in North Carolina, Rob McLamb has covered NC State Athletics since 2010, as well as writing about each of the five major sports leagues in North America (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS) for various newspapers and outlets. As a journalist who has also served as a high school and college coach, McLamb provides an educated, unfiltered, and analytical perspective on the Wolfpack and the ACC.