28 ■ THE WOLFPACKER
BY MATT CARTER
Four different NC State signal-callers
started at least one game this year, par-
tially due to injuries to fifth-year red-
shirt junior Devin Leary and true fresh-
man MJ Morris.
In a statistic that is a testament to the
resiliency of the Wolfpack, according
to ESPN's David Hale, of the 14 teams
in the College Football Playoff era that
started four quarterbacks in a single
season, only the 2020 Army squad that
went 9-3 and the 2014 Utah State team
that finished 10-4 had better records
than NC State's 8-4 (which included a
4-4 mark in the ACC).
Only South Carolina, which went
7-6 in 2021, joined those three in even
having a winning record. Nine of the 14
teams had three wins or fewer, including
the other two squads in 2022 that went
through four starting quarterbacks:
Northern Illinois (3-9) and Colorado
(1-11).
Overcoming Ups
And Downs
A Season Of High Hopes Turned Into A Showcase Of NC State's Resiliency
It was a surprise when linebacker Drake
Thomas did not receive first-team All-ACC
honors. Finishing the regular season with 90
tackles, the fourth-year junior spearheaded an
NC State defense that ranked 21st nationally
and third in the ACC in yards per game allowed
at 325.7.
PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP
