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Friday's Fearless Predictions: Rivers, Leary, and Dunand
Let's have some fun. I am now looking ahead. Either I am a profoundly intellectual man with incredible foresight, or I should take my broken crystal ball to the pawn shop. Time will tell.
Here are some fearless predictions for the future.
1. Philip Rivers is two or three years away from moving up to college or professional coaching.
Let's be clear, Rivers can get a television pundit gig whenever he wants. He is engaging, intelligent, and speaks in a manner that does not hide his affection for football.
He is a walking encyclopedia of football knowledge, which is why coaching not only appeals to him but also probably comes naturally to the Wolfpack great.
Philip Rivers has mentored former NC State quarterbacks before. Could he one day come back to his alma mater to coach?
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Would it surprise me if he moves up to a higher level in coaching?
Not one bit, although I think professional football may be the safer bet. If I am NC State, I am keeping in touch with one of the most famous alums on a regular basis just to get a feel if he ever wants to make a move to working in Raleigh.
If Rivers moves up to professional coaching, and the USFL sticks around, don't sleep on him one day working with the Birmingham Stallions. It would be a way for him to compete at a higher level without drifting too far away from his home in Alabama.
But the Wolfpack brass should be in constant touch. If Rivers wants to come to NC State and all the jobs are filled, make a job up just for him.
Rivers is a handy guy to keep around. Just look at the #HTT hashtag that the football program constantly reinforces. It was a gift from Rivers himself.
2. In 2022, Devin Leary will be the third NC State quarterback to pass for at least 4,000 yards in a season.
Rivers has three of NC State's top-10 season passing yards totals, including a school-record 4,491 in 2003.
Mike Glennon is the other signal caller that has tossed for over 4k (4,031 yards in 2012). In 2018, Ryan Finley came up 72 yards short of being the third.
This coming season, assuming good health, Devin Leary will be the third to reach the 4,000-mark. He has the weapons, the offensive line, and -- most importantly -- the experience.
The game should slow down considerably for Leary in 2022, who is also on the top-10 list with a sixth-place total of 3,433 yards last season. He has thrown 751 passes in his college career with 51 of them going for touchdowns. Only 12 of them have been intercepted.
NC State quarterback Devin Leary is poised to have a fantastic 2022 season.
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Keep in mind, NC State is a trendy pick to finish in the top-10 nationally. If the Wolfpack wins its division - something it has never done before - that would be at least two more games for Leary to potentially play in, including the bowl contest.
If NCSU plays in 14 games and Leary appears in all of them, he would have to average 286 yards passing per contest to get to 4,000. If the Pack plays 13 games, Leary will have to average 308 yards per outing. It is doable.
3. Joe Dunand will be the next NC State alum to reach the Major Leagues.
Dunand is in Triple-A with Jacksonville in the Miami Marlins farm system, so saying he will reach the Majors is not an incredibly bold statement.
Saying Dunand will be the next NC State alum to reach The Show is somewhat bold, as he is not the only Wolfpacker just one level away.
Joe Dunand plays for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp but could be a Major Leaguer sooner than later.
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In fact, Tim Naughton could be the next one instead. Naughton is doing well with Norfolk, triple-A affiliate of Baltimore. With the Orioles struggling while playing in a division alongside the New York Yankees, Toronto, and Tampa Bay, the organization is one trade away from sending players to help a contender and having to replace them with farmhands.
Miami will probably be in the same boat. Although better at the moment than Baltimore, looking ahead it is hard to envision the Marlins competing for a division title in 2022, as the New York Mets and defending champion Atlanta seem better equipped for the long haul of the season.
The Fish could be looking to make moves as well, which is in the club's DNA.
As a former second round pick, Dunand has been invested in heavily.
As a nephew of Alex Rodriguez, he brings some national interest (expect there to be plenty of stories about his family when he does make it).
As a South Florida-native, expect Dunand to drum up at least some local interest and storylines as well.
Miami only has one shortstop listed on its roster. That would be Miguel Rojas, who is 33 years old and batting .181 with an on-base percentage of .224 through 21 games (as of Thursday).
Rojas is a leader for the Marlins and can be trusted to both take Dunand under his wing and play other infield positions if asked to.
All the signs point to an infusion of youthful talent coming to Marlins Park soon (it would not be the first time), and Dunand should then get his chance.
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