The departure of Ryan Finley left an opening at arguably the most important position on the football field. With three guys competing to fill that role (Matt McKay, Devin Leary and Bailey Hockman), as of today, Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren says he doesn’t have a favorite.
“I want to see who improves over the summer. You’re talking about a transfer that came in in January, a kid that redshirted last year and kid that’s in his third year. There’s a lot of growth that’s going to happen from the end of the spring to the beginning of this fall. I’d be selling them short not to give them that opportunity. I’m really excited to see these guys compete. I think that’s what they signed up to do when they came here. We need to give them that opportunity.”
The assumption among many is that the job is third-year player Matt McKay’s to lose, but don’t expect Doeren to rush to name his guy.
“I think when it shows itself to us, we’ll know. You accumulate data over time and see who has the lead. Sometimes it’s really telling. Sometimes it isn’t. I don’t know. It’s on the players to show me who it is. I want to see who is the leader of that group, how do these guys play for them and who can inspire the guys around him.”
The Wolfpack will report for fall camp on Aug. 1 and we will begin practice on Aug. 2
The Multi-Million Dollar Bet: UNC Charts a Path Forward Under Belichick