For Mike Glennon , this year is finally the year. It’s finally the year he will take over for the Pack, the year he will be listed on the depth chart on the first team, and hopefully the year he will see fans in the stands wearing No. 8 jerseys rather than No. 16.
Each year brings a new storyline in college sports with the departure of seniors and the arrival of new faces, but many N.C. State fans have followed the story of the redshirt junior quarterback since his initial signing with the Wolfpack.
Glennon has planned to be the starting quarterback since his arrival in 2008, and he made that known on the first day of spring practice.
“I came here to be the starting quarterback for this team,” Glennon said. “It’s exciting for me and for my family to get to this point in my career. I thought those first three years would go a little differently, but I learned a lot from Russell [Wilson] and now I think I’m ready to take over this team.”
While the offseason is typically either a time where players slack off or hone their skills for the next season, Glennon chose to take the route of getting in shape for his new role as the starting quarterback.
“I focused on getting bigger, faster and stronger,” Glennon said. “I put on some weight and did exactly what I wanted to do in the offseason. Hopefully that hard work translates on the field.”
Many fans of the Pack may have a difficult time forgetting Russell Wilson. He was not only one of the statistically best quarterbacks for State in quite some time, but he also followed in the footsteps of some unfavorable quarterbacks.
He said fans can be assured that even though he may lack experience, they are in good hands with a confident quarterback who is ready to take over and lead the team.
“I think I’m ready for this,” Glennon said. “My teammates think I’m ready, and I have confidence in myself if I have the confidence of them.”
Redshirt senior tight end George Bryan echoed Glennon, and said he believes in the incoming quarterback.
“I’m fully faithful in Mike Glennon,” Bryan said. “Mike can do anything he wants to do with this team. He’s a great quarterback, and he’s going to do some awesome things. He will definitely be a guy to watch this season.”
Another big question going into the season is if the offensive playbook will change. While Wilson was one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC for the past three seasons, his style of play was much different from the typical quarterback. Wilson ran the ball with efficiency and moved outside of the pocket much more often than Glennon is expected to.
Glennon is a pocket passer who can heave the ball at will and is not known particularly for his presence outside of the pocket. With all of this taken into account, Glennon said he still feels the team will run a similar offense to the last few seasons, but will run plays that showcase his skill set.
“The offense will be running the same plays we always have,” Glennon said. “We’ll probably focus on some plays that play more to my strength than in the past, but it’s still the same playbook. We’ll just be running some plays more often.”
Coach Tom O’Brien said Glennon may have been a little rusty during the first spring practice, but if anyone is going to improve over the course of spring workouts, it will be the quarterback.
“Mike [Glennon] just needs to relax and play the game,” O’Brien said. “He might be moving a little too fast in practice because he might be just a little excited to be out here. He’s got a lot of ability, and he is definitely one guy who will get better during the spring because he works so hard at it.”
