NC State football post-spring analysis: Quarterback
Now that spring practices are completed and the recent NCAA transfer portal window has closed, this is a good time to reevaluate where the NC State football position groups stand in the aftermath. TheWolfpacker.com starts with the all-important quarterback group.
NC State football rundown: Quarterback
The spring game left a clear impression that Virginia grad transfer Brennan Armstrong, using an extra season of eligibility granted by the NCAA for those competing during the 2020 season in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, was a leading contender to be the starter.
Armstrong was the only quarterback to take his snaps exclusively with the Red Team in the NC State spring game, which was the unit that consisted primarily of expected starters and prominent backups. Armstrong was also done after the halftime break.
Sophomore MJ Morris split reps with the White Team with fourth-year redshirt sophomore Ben Finley during the first half, and then Morris took all the snaps with the Red Team in the second half.
Post-spring positives
Armstrong knows what new NC State offensive coordinator Robert Anae expects. To two worked together to record-setting results at Virginia. Armstrong also understands Anae’s tendencies and terminology.
Morris, on the other hand, is a newcomer to Anae’s system.
Thus, the biggest positive to take away from the spring game was that Morris’ overall performance, and in particular his reps in the second half with the Red Team, stood out even when compared to Armstrong on what was a wet and chilly early-April afternoon in Raleigh.
That leads to confidence that NC State will have a strong one-two punch at quarterback this fall after starter Devin Leary transferred to Kentucky.
Post spring concerns
Depth beyond the duo of Armstrong and Morris is a real concern. Finley chose to leave as a grad transfer following the spring. The decision was understandable on Finley’s part. He played exclusively with the White Team during the NC State spring scrimmage, leaving a clear indicator that he was behind both Armstrong and Morris in the competition.
Finley has since announced that he would attend Cal.
It is rare for the quarterback position to be decimated with injuries, but also not unprecedented. NC State football went through that last year but found ways to still win.
According to ESPN’s David Hale, of the 14 teams in the College Football Playoff era (which spans 9 seasons) that had to start 4 quarterbacks in a season like NC State did, only the 2020 Army squad that went 9-3 and the 2014 Utah State team that finished 10-4 had better records than Wolfpack’s 8-5 (which included a 4-4 mark in the ACC).
Only South Carolina in 2021, who went 7-6, joined those three in even having a winning record. Nine of the 14 teams had 3 wins or fewer, including the other 2 squads in 2022 that went through 4 starting quarterbacks: Northern Illinois (3-9) and Colorado (1-11).
Thus the average is about 1.6 teams per season have to use 4 starting quarterbacks, but the dilemma NC State faces is that third-string option Lex Thomas is a true freshman who enrolled early but only recently returned to throwing following shoulder surgery last fall.
And there is no fourth scholarship quarterback on the roster.
The post NC State football post-spring analysis: Quarterback appeared first on On3.
