NC State quarterback Devin Leary named to prestigious watch list
The preseason accolades continue to pour in this month for NC State. Star senior quarterback Devin Leary received a spot on the Maxwell Award watch list, a prestigious honor given out to the best player in college football.
Leary, who is headed into his second full year as the Wolfpack’s starting quarterback, received the accolade along with 84 of his peers. The Maxwell Award was founded in 1937 and has never been won by an NC State athlete. Louisville’s Lamar Jackson was the last ACC athlete to receive the honor in 2016.
“Each year the Maxwell Football Club presents the Maxwell Award for the College Player of the Year,” the award’s website reads. “The Maxwell Award for College Player of the Year is the premier award on the ESPN Home Depot College Awards Show, which is nationally televised each December.”
The NC State signal caller exploded onto the scene as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks last year, tossing 35 touchdowns to go along with just five interceptions. According to a press release from NC State Athletics, he is the only quarterback in ACC history to accomplish that feat.
“He also set a new school single season record with 35 passing touchdowns – he broke the previous mark of 34 held by Philip Rivers (2003),” NC State’s press release said. “Leary ranked third in the ACC in passing efficiency with a 157.1 mark – the second-best mark for a season in school history, and his 3,433 passing yards in 2021 ranks sixth in the Wolfpack single-season record book.”
Leary’s heroics helped the Wolfpack win nine games last year and are a significant reason why NC State is touted as a team to watch nationally this year. Both Athlon and Phil Steele awarded Leary preseason all-ACC second-team honors as well, joining a double-digit list of NC State athletes on both lists.
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NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren touts Leary’s ability to perform in clutch situations. He discussed those skills in an exclusive interview with The Wolfpacker in June.
“I’ve never had one that’s as good as he is in that situation, I just haven’t,” Doeren said. “It’s nice to see it. Been around some guys that do it every now and then, but not to the degree that he’s been able to do it.
“To me, that’s what separates him from everybody else out there. He’s really good at the end of the half, and he has been for multiple years. Pretty special.”
Leary is one of seven ACC quarterbacks to make the list, joining Boston College’s Phil Jurkovec, Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke, Louisville’s Malik Cunningham, Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman, Florida State’s Jordan Travis and UVA’s Brennan Armstrong.
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