Quarterback Ryan Finley decided to return for his final college season because he wanted to be the best quarterback in college football, win an ACC Championship, and leave a legacy at NC State.

There have been a lot of great quarterbacks for the Wolfpack through the years. People debate which school is QBU, but no one had more former quarterbacks start an NFL game last season (Rivers, Wilson, Glennon and Brissett). The question is, at seasons end, how will Finley’s legacy stack up compared to NC State greats.

In my opinion, I think that Finley could finish as one of the Top 2 or 3 quarterbacks in NC State history.

Facts are friends, so let’s project statistically where Finley could finish his career, and see if that helps clarify things for us. Finley currently has 6,577 passing yards through 2 seasons as the starter. If he were to simply match his total from last season (3,514 yards), he would become only the second quarterback in NC State history to pass for over 10,000 yards (10,091) besides Philip Rivers (13,484). In fact, if this were to happen, Rivers would have only averaged 8 more passing yards per season. Realistically, I think Finley does more than match his numbers from last season. I think he will throw for closer to 4,000 yards, which would make his season average superior to Rivers. The only quarterback that has a superior season average to Rivers is Mike Glennon (3,705).

NC State Quarterback Stat Leaders

Passing Yards
1. Philip Rivers, 2002-03 – 13,484
2. Jamie Barnette, 1996-99 – 9,461
3. Russell Wilson, 2008-10 – 8,545
4. Mike Glennon, 2009-12 – 7,411
5. Ryan Finley, 2016-pres. – 6,577
6. Terry Harvey, 1991,93-995 – 5,925
7. Shane Montgomery, 1987-89 – 5,298
8. Jacoby Brissett, 2014-15 – 5,268
9. Erik Kramer, 1985-86 – 4,602
10. Dave Buckey, 1972-75 – 4,286

One of the knocks on Finley’s legacy thus far has been his lack of passing touchdowns, picking up only 35 through 2 seasons, which ranks 7th all-time. He has never passed for more than 20 touchdowns in a season (18 & 17). Rivers passed for 20+ touchdowns 3 times (30+ one time), Wilson did it 3 times (30+ two times) and Glennon threw 30+ touchdowns in both of the seasons he was the starter. If he simply matches his total from last season, he would finish with 52 career passing touchdowns, which would rank 5th. A 30+ touchdown season would go a long way in solidifying Finley as one of the greatest quarterbacks in school history, ranking him 3rd all-time.

Passing Touchdowns
1. Philip Rivers, 2000-03 – 95
2. Russell Wilson, 2008-10 – 76
3. Mike Glennon, 2009-12 – 63
4. Jamie Barnette, 1996-99 – 59
5. Jacoby Brissett, 2014-15 – 43
6. Terry Harvey, 1991, 93-95 – 38
7. Ryan Finley, 2016-pres. – 35
8. Shane Montgomery, 1987-89 – 31
9. Erik Kramer, 1985-86 – 30
10. Dave Buckey, 1972-75 – 22

Yards and touchdowns are obviously important, but they aren’t the only factors that determine the effectiveness of a quarterback. Currently, Finley ranks second in passing efficiency, interception avoidance, and completion percentage, no doubt solidifying him as one of the most effective quarterbacks to every play at NC State.

Passing Efficiency
1. Philip Rivers, 2000-03 – 144.16
2. Ryan Finley, 2016-pres. – 135.64
3. Russell Wilson, 2008-10 – 135.47
4. Jacoby Brissett, 2014-15 – 133.39
5. Dave Buckey, 1972-75 – 133.12

Interception Avoidance
1. Jacoby Brissett, 2014-15 – 765/11 – 1.44
2. Ryan Finley, 2016-pres. – 881/14 – 1.59
3. Philip Rivers, 2000-03 – 1,710/34 – 1.99
4. Russell Wilson, 2008-10 – 1,180/26 – 2.20
5. Mike Glennon, 2009-12 – 1,069/31 – 2.90
6. Terry Jordan, 1989-92 – 504/15 – 2.98
7. Jose Laureano, 1995-96 – 160/5 – 3.13
8. Jamie Barnette, 1996-99 – 1,243/40 – 3.22
9. Pete Thomas, 2013 – 247/9 – 3.64
10. Terry Harvey, 1991-94 – 793/30 – 3.78

Completion Percentage 
1. Philip Rivers, 2000-03 – 63.6%
2. Ryan Finley, 2016-pres. – 63.0%
3. Mike Glennon, 2009-12 – 60.4%
4. Terry Jordan, 1989-92 – 60.1%
5. Jacoby Brissett, 2014-15 – 59.9%

I think Finley has good chance to finish his career with the best completion percentage, trailing Rivers by only 0.6% heading into the season.

When it comes to the success of a quarterback, you can’t just pin it down to individual statistics. You also have to analyze their ability to lead their team to victory. Finley’s winning percentage trails Rivers, but it is currently greater than Glennon, Wilson and Brissett.

Winning Percentage

Philip Rivers – 67%
Ryan Finley – 62%
Mike Glennon – 58%
Jacoby Brissett – 58%
Russell Wilson – 53%

Rivers led NC State to 8+ wins in 3 of his 4 seasons, and led the Wolfpack to 11 wins in 2002, which is the most wins ever in a single season. Wilson led NC State to a 9 win season. Finley also led NC State to a 9 win season last year. Only 11 NC State teams have every won 9 or more games, and Rivers, Finley and Wilson account for 3 of them.

Last year Finley did something even Rivers never did, leading the Wolfpack to 6 ACC wins, which was the most since 1992. In fact, only 6 NC State teams have ever won 6+ ACC games in a single season.

Signature Wins

For a quarterback to solidify their legacy at NC State, they have to have at least 1 “signature” win, if not multiple.

Philip Rivers – 2001 – at #10 FSU. 2002 – #14 FSU & #11 Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl.
Russell Wilson – 2008 – #15 ECU & @ #25 UNC. 2009 – #23 UNC. 2010 – #16 FSU & #22 WVU in Champs Sports Bowl.
Mike Glennon – 2011 – #7 Clemson. 2012 – #3 FSU
Ryan Finley – 2017 – @ #12 FSU

No disrespect to the Wolfpack’s win over #12 FSU last season, but they were without starter Deondre Francois. As a result, I don’t think Finley has picked up a signature win yet. Finley has a first opportunity for a signature win on September 15th against #17 West Virginia at home, and if he can finally get the Wolfpack over the hump and beat #2 Clemson, he would be forever loved.

Rankings

Rivers led NC State to a final ranking of #12 after the 2002 season. Russell Wilson led the Wolfpack to a #25 ranking at the end of 2010. NC State finished 23rd under Finley in 2017, and if he leads the Wolfpack to another Top-25 finish, he will have done something that Rivers and Wilson never did.

Accolades

(Roman Gabriel won the ACC Player of the Year award in 1960 and 1961, and he was a legend in his own right, but the game was drastically different, and so was the position.)

Out of the quarterbacks that I consider the greatest in NC State history, Rivers is the only one to have won the ACC Player of the Year and the ACC Offensive Player of the Year. If Finley were to pick up an end of the year ACC award or National award, his legacy would be solidified.

ACC Title

None of the greatest quarterbacks in Wolfpack history have led the team to an Atlantic Division Title or an ACC Championship. If Finley could bring the Wolfpack a banner, I’d be willing to argue Finley’s significance in NC State’s history books alongside Rivers.

Conclusion

In my opinion, if Finely has the season he could, you could make a solid case that he will finish as the #2 quarterback in NC State history.