Yep, it sure looks like Devin Leary is ACC Player of the Year.

I shook my head after the 2022 preseason All-ACC team came out with N.C. State’s Leary tabbed as the conference player of the year. After the first week, he is among the worst QBs in the league.

Sure, he was the ACC’s most improved quarterback and perhaps player last season, but after the first week of the new campaign Leary was close to the worst quarterback in the ACC behind a bunch of newcomers, including of course Drake Maye with 9 TD passes.

In Leary’s one year as a starter for the Wolfpack, he came out of nowhere to complete almost 66 percent of his passes for 35 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions for a superb QB rating of 157. But with an off-season to prepare for him, opponents will be ready.

Against East Carolina in the opener, Leary hit only 17 of 33 throws for 1 TD and 1 interception and an average of 6.4 yards per completion in a game State could have lost to the Pirates, who missed a makeable field goal on the last play.

In two games, redshirt freshman Maye is the best quarterback in the ACC and looks like he’ll be in that dogfight all season with his incredible accuracy and his 6-5 vision over the defense. He did fumble against App State, which led to one of the Mountaineers’ late TDs.

Here are what some other top ACC signal callers have done so far:

Florida State’s Jordan Travis, the only ACC quarterback besides Maye to have played two games, has completed 31 of 48 passes for 467 yards and two touchdowns, both against LSU, with no interceptions.

Pitt’s Kedon Slovis, the transfer from Southern Cal, threw for 308 yards and one TD in the thrilling win over West Virginia.

Duke sophomore Riley Leonard was 24-30 (80 percent) for 328 yards and two scores with no picks in his first start against Temple.

Miami’s Taylor Van Dyke, on some Heisman Trophy watch lists, was 13-of-16 for 193 yards, 2 TDs and no picks in the U’s 70-point blitz over Bethune-Cookman.

Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong threw for 246 yards and 2 TDs and no interceptions in an easy win over Richmond.

All other ACC quarterbacks except for VaTech’s Grant Wells, who had four picks in the loss to James Madison, had better numbers than Leary. So All-ACC QB and Player of the Year? Nope and nope.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Karl B. DeBlaker

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