N.C. State quarterback Devin Leary will have plenty of top receiving options in 2021
When wide receiver Emeka Emezie decided to take advantage of an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA after a season lost to a global pandemic, N.C. State was the beneficiary, returning its top pass catcher from last season.
With Emezie back for a fifth season, the Wolfpack returns nine of its top 10 receivers from 2020. The only missing piece — and it’s a big one — is 6-foot, 7-inch tight end Cary Angeline, who is currently in preseason camp with the Arizona Cardinals.
Angeline caught 27 passes for 410 yards a year ago, a safety blanket for N.C. State quarterbacks in the red zone. Even with Angeline gone, quarterback Devin Leary returns a group of wide outs who combined for 222 of the 252 passes caught last season.
That group includes the top three receivers from last season: Emezie (47-738), Thayer Thomas (42-529), and Devin Carter (29-477).
For good measure the Pack also returns its top three rushers, including All-ACC preseason selection Zonovan Knight. Last season, with two different quarterbacks (though mainly Bailey Hockman), N.C. State ranked No. 12 in the ACC in total offense. With Leary back from a broken leg, and a full offseason under coordinator Tim Beck, the offensive unit is expected to take some leaps in 2021.
“I think our offense will evolve quite a bit now that they know him (Beck), he knows them,” head coach Dave Doeren said at ACC Kickoff. “They’re speaking the same language. They’ve evolved. He’s now been in the ACC, knows the league better as well.”
How much the offense evolves falls squarely on the shoulders of Leary.
Leary in charge
Leary was just coming into his own when he broke his leg in the first half of an October game against Duke.
The New Jersey native won the job in summer camp, but missed two weeks due to COVID contact tracing, opening the door for Hockman — who has since transferred to Middle Tennessee — to start the first two games. The Wolfpack went 1-1 in those two starts, including a blowout loss at Virginia Tech. Leary started the next week, a road win over ranked Pittsburgh, and led the team to another win, at Virginia, the following week. In those two wins he combined for 520 yards and six touchdowns. He already had 205 yards and a score when he went out against the Blue Devils.
Leary did enough in a short body of work to excite N.C. State fans about what he can do in 2021. Of course it helps when he has his top guys back, not to mention a full offseason to gel, something they didn’t have a year ago due to COVID.
“Summer workouts so far have been good,” Leary told the media at ACC Kickoff. “I think just being around guys like Emeka, Thayer, Devin Carter, I mean, the list goes on. We’re doing everything as far as throwing routes, working on different footwork drills, even going in the film room. These guys are as hungry as everyone else on the team. For me to be able to see how hungry and eager they are to play, it just makes me that much more excited.”
Top guns
Emezie returns with a chance to move up in the record books. He heads into 2021 No. 5 in career receptions (169), No. 7 in career receiving yards (2,093) and holds two spots in the top 20 for single-season receptions. He needs 34 catches to become the all-time receptions leader in school history.
Thomas, a former walk-on, hasn’t done too badly for himself since earning a scholarship prior to his redshirt freshman season in 2018. Thomas is 19th on the career receptions list and his 11 catches last season against Florida State ranks 10th all-time for receptions in a game.
Leary says his job is to be the “point guard of the team,” and he has some quality options when he distributes the ball.
“Being able to have so many guys back in the receiving corps, running back, our offensive line, everyone has great experience where it just makes my job that much easier,” Leary said. “Being able to have everyone back is very helpful.”
In the spring of 2020, Beck, who took over as offensive coordinator, was new. It didn’t help that shortly after spring practice started, everything got shut down, so Beck didn’t have a lot of time in the off-season to get well acquainted with his team. They’ve had that time now and Doeren has noticed how much of a difference it made this spring.
“We were a watered-down version of what we will be,” Doeren said. “For Devin and Tim to have the relationship they now have going through a year together, finishing Tim’s sentences for him, I’m sure Devin will tell you he knows the offense at a completely different level than he did a year ago.”
Doeren also added how much it helps the team in the off-season knowing that Leary is the guy.
That piece is really critical, for them to know who the shot caller is, for him to be able to lead the team throughout the summer like Devin has,” Doeren said. “All the things that they do without coaches present, it’s a big part of I guess you would say putting yourself ahead of the game from other teams that are still trying to figure that out.”
Tight end group
Angeline isn’t the only tight end N.C. State will be missing.
Dylan Authenrieth only caught two passes a year ago, but played a big part in the running game. Angeline was the go-to pass catching tight end and was tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions (6).
The most experienced tight end returning to the offense is Raleigh native Dylan Parham, who caught just four passes in 2020 and has only seven career grabs. Parham will be expected to fill the role of both pass catching and blocking tight end, a combination of Autherieth and Angeline.
“The tight end is a critical piece in our offense,” Doeren said. “They do a lot of things, whether they’re in the box or out of the box. Dylan Parham is a guy we’re really excited for. He’s been injured a lot in his career. He’s worked really hard. He’s one of the most physical blockers at that position I’ve been around. It’s just about not having the nicks that he’s had in the past to keep him off the field. He’s worked really hard. He’s in a position to excel at that spot.”
Former running back Trent Pennix converted to an H-Back position in the spring and will get his chance to pick up some of the slack left by Angeline. In fall camp, Doeren and tight ends coach Todd Goebbel will search from depth behind those two.
“Who is going to take those balls that Cary Angeline had, right? Those were touches that Devin needs to give to somebody else,” Doeren said. “They have to go out there and prove that he can trust him, they’re going to be where they’re supposed to be, they’re going to be open and make that catch, they’re going to make that block. That’s what training camp is going to be for that position group.”
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