National Signing Day is one of the biggest days of the off season for college football programs and the football media. The day is supposed to be about high school seniors, rankings, stars and last minute decisions, but that was kicked to the curb in Raleigh as Head Coach Tom O’Brien announced redshirt junior quarterback Russell Wilson will not return for his senior season and instead will focus strictly on baseball.

“Russell is going to go and play baseball,” O’Brien said during the Signing Day press conference at the Murphy Center. “Our plans are he is not coming back–he will be a baseball player. We have to move forward with Glennon.”

With that, the reins will be handed off to redshirt sophomore Mike Glennon. Glennon was O’Brien’s biggest recruit when he arrived in Raleigh and the six-foot-six-inch quarterback will have some big shoes to fill.

“We have planned for this day. Michael is ready to do it,” O’Brien said. “We have to redo the whole passing offense, losing three guys anyway. So it is crucial this spring that we move forward with this football team.”

This update may not be news to fans, as many have speculated that when Wilson hoisted the Champs Sports Bowl trophy in December, he had played his final game with the Pack. Although O’Brien confirmed Wilson was done with football, he did say Wilson will always be welcomed back.

“The door is always open,” O’Brien said. “You always have to have options in life and he has that as an option.”

With that, O’Brien reaffirmed that if Wilson does elect to come back, the job won’t just be handed to him–he will have to unseat Glennon.

“Michael is going to be the quarterback and that is how we are going. Russell is coming back as a baseball player,” O’Brien said. “We went though this last year and it is going to be a tough situation for him to come back and do it. We will have to see if that ever happens but I don’t foresee that happening one way or another down the road.”

On the bright side, O’Brien and his staff could have brought in the next Russell Wilson with the 2011 recruiting class. The 20-man class consists of five offensive players, nine defensive players, three athletes and three specialists.

The three specialists are especially important as place kicker Josh Czajkowski, punter Jeff Ruiz and long snapper Corey Tedder have graduated. Replacing them will be kicker Niklas Sade, punter Wil Baumann and snapper Scott Thompson.

“The focus from the start was that we had to solve our kicking game problems. Not problems, but the graduation of everybody that is concerned with our special teams, kicking, punting and long snappers,” O’Brien said. “Each of those players that we signed, we think will come in and be able to do the things we have to be able to get done on special teams in order to be a championship football team.”

Sade, who was considered the 3rd best kicker in the country, will immediately be able to improve the Pack’s kickoff coverage woes, as his leg should help provide a few extra yards on kickoffs.

“He has a strong leg and that will be an improvement on kickoffs. We have to get better and I think he can handle the kickoff chores and certainly be the field goal kicker for us,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien also believes his punter will make an immediate impact as well, challenging returning punter Andy Leffler for his position.

“He will challenge him greatly. He was in our punting and kicking camp and has a very strong leg and gets a lot of elevation on the ball,” O’Brien said. “He is a tall kid so he has a good range of motion and whip and gets a lot of power in the ball. He might not only challenge, but he might be the punter next year.”

Outside of the specialists, the Pack inked a much needed receiver in Hakeem Flowers, considering its three top pass catchers from last season, Owen Spencer, Darrell Davis and Jarvis Williams, graduated this year. His coach went so far as to compare him to one of the now former Pack receivers.

“With his size and length, when people look at him [he] remind[s] them a little bit of Owen Spencer, and Owen played as a freshman for us,” O’Brien said. “Wide receiver is one position where freshmen go out and play.”

Overall, O’Brien seemed happy with his class, even though it lacked the high profile stars.

“It may be more of a redshirt class than it is anything, which is best for us and will be good for us,” O’Brien said.