Sources: NC State QB Devin Leary (shoulder) out vs. Syracuse
Star NC State quarterback Devin Leary will be out for the No. 15 Wolfpack's game at No. 18 Syracuse on Saturday, sources told ESPN.
Leary, the ACC preseason player of the year, injured his shoulder against Florida State last week. Coach Dave Doeren has set a timetable where Leary's return could be anywhere from a week to six weeks. For the first week, Leary is not ready to return.
Leary, a fifth-year player, is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in the sport. He has thrown for 6,807 yards and 62 touchdowns in his career. He has thrown for 11 touchdowns and four interceptions this season.
NC State will start Jack Chambers, a graduate transfer from Charleston Southern who arrived in 2022 and has yet to start a game for the Wolfpack. Chambers did not complete a pass in relief against Florida State, but he did lead the Wolfpack on a pair of fourth-quarter field goal drives that allowed them to take the lead and win the game.
Chambers did flash a dual-threat capability, finishing the game with 39 rushing yards on seven attempts. He failed to complete the only pass he threw. On the season for NC State, he's 6-for-14 for 48 yards and one touchdown. This will be his first start for the Wolfpack.
At Charleston Southern, Chambers was second-team all-Big South and finished in the Top 20 nationally in the FCS with 63.3% completion rate.
Leary left the game after taking a hit from 300-pound FSU defensive lineman Joshua Farmer late in the third quarter of NC State's win over the Seminoles. Farmer was penalized for roughing the passer on the play. Leary eventually left the field with the help of trainers and watched the final quarter with his right (throwing) arm in a sling.
Leary gets a chance to heal a bit thanks to the schedule, as NC State has a bye next week before returning to action the following Thursday night against Virginia Tech. That's the first of three-straight home games for NC State, as Wake Forest visits the next week and Boston College the week after.
Leary entered the season as one of the most intriguing players in the sport, as he'd thrown 35 touchdowns and just five interceptions in 2021. That earned him plenty of preseason college hype and NFL intrigue, as his arm strength was considered among the best in the sport by NFL scouts.
Leary was so bullish on the Wolfpack before the season that he predicted this could be one of the school's best-ever teams. "I think it could be the best team," Leary told ESPN this summer, "to ever come through NC State."
The Wolfpack (5-1) will face a Syracuse (5-0) defense that's one of the surprise units in the country. The Orange are Top 10 nationally in scoring defense (14.0 ppg) and total defense (271.6 ypg), as coordinator Tony White's unorthodox 3-3-5 has given up more than 20 points only once in five games.
This is the first time two ranked teams are playing at Syracuse since 2001.
