The end of July is quickly approaching, and the 2013 N.C. State football season is just around the corner.
The ACC Football Kickoff, which was held Sunday and Monday, is sure to get Wolfpack fans excited for the upcoming season. The players seemed confident, as did the coaches, and the Pack was picked an optimistic third place in the Atlantic Division.
But one question still remains for the Pack that will likely be critical in determining just how good the team will be this year: Who is going to play quarterback?
The season is a little over a month away, and not even the Wolfpack’s presumed savior, first-year head coach Dave Doeren, knows who it will be.
Recently, Doeren indicated that he may choose to run a two-quarterback system if there is no clear-cut option by the start of the season, although he would not prefer to do that.
At this point, there seems to be three frontrunners for the starting job, with as many as five possibilities.
Two of the frontrunners are the only two returning scholarship quarterbacks for State, Pete Thomas and Manny Stocker.
Thomas is a 6-6, 234-pound junior who transferred from Colorado State following the firing of former CSU head coach Steve Fairchild who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer regulations.
Thomas, a pro-style quarterback, started 21 consecutive games for the Rams as a true freshman and into his sophomore season before he was sidelined with an ankle injury. Clearly, experience in Division I football is a factor that could play into Doeren’s decision.
Although Thomas threw for more than 4,000 yards, he also had just 18 touchdown passes to 21 interceptions.
Stocker, on the other hand, had just two pass attempts for NCSU as a true freshman last season, both of them for icompletions, and ran for 18 yards. The 6-1, 212-pound sophomore does have athleticism working in his favor.
Like Thomas, Stocker is primarily a pro-style quarterback, but his athleticism could allow him to have a natural ability to run a spread-style offense. This could work in his favor, considering Doeren wants to go in that direction with the Wolfpack, just as he did with Chandler Harnish and Jordan Lynch at Northern Illinois.
Florida transfer Jacoby Brissett is plenty of evidence for that claim, but Brissett will be ineligible to play this season.
The door is wide open for Arkansas transfer Brandon Mitchell, who makes up for the relative lack of mobility in Stocker and Thomas. That’s why many view the big 6-4, 239-pound dual-threat quarterback as the favorite to start Aug. 31 against Louisiana Tech.
Mitchell played his final season at Arkansas as a receiver, catching 17 passes for 272 yards, highlighting his athleticism and ability to make plays happen. In 17 career games behind center for the Razorbacks, he completed 25 of 43 for 332 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
Although Mitchell, Thomas and Stocker may be considered the most popular choices, Doeren has not ruled out true freshmen Bryant Shirreffs and Josh Taylor.
Both quarterbacks led their high school teams to state championships in their senior seasons.
At 6-3 and 218 pounds, Shirreffs displayed his ability to run and throw, passing for 2,404 yards and 18 touchdowns. He tacked on another 1,383 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground in 16 games, including 188 passing yards, three rushing touchdowns and 139 rushing yards in the Georgia 2A championship game.
Likewise, 5-11, 185-pound Taylor ran for 1,159 yards and 17 touchdowns while throwing for 2,665 yards and 25 touchdowns. He led New Bern to the North Carolina 4A title with a perfect 15-0 record.
With three of the first four games being played against FCS schools, Doeren should have plenty of time to play with his options without much consequence before settling on one starter for the remainder of the season–or two if he decides to go in that direction.
Regardless of whom he decides to go with, State fans should be encouraged that the team has a wide selection of quarterbacks competing to start rather than distressed that there is not a clear choice at this time.
