The quarterback position at N.C. State has been stable since 2008, thanks to stellar play by former Wolfpackers now playing on Sundays.
Former quarterback Russell Wilson started for the Wolfpack from 2008 to 2010, after which Mike Glennon took over signal calling duties in 2011 and 2012. Both were highly successful in college and now ply their trade in the NFL.
Wilson is entering his second season as starter with the Seattle Seahawks, a championship contender, while Glennon looks to unseat incumbent starter Josh Freeman in Tampa Bay.
But with Wilson and Glennon now gone, who will take their place as the Wolfpack’s starting QB in 2013?
At this point it appears to be a two-horse race between transfers, neither of whom have taken a regular-season snap for the Wolfpack.
One hopeful is redshirt junior Pete Thomas. A two-year starter at Colorado State, Thomas transferred to N.C. State following his sophomore season. He was forced to sit out all of last season due to NCAA regulations governing undergraduate transfer athletes. Former N.C. State head coach Tom O’Brien brought in the 6-foot-6 California native in 2012.
The similarities between Thomas and Glennon are obvious: Both are tall, accurate pocket passers who have high completion percentages. Thomas’ completion percentage of 63.5 actually exceeds Glennon’s percentage of 62.6.
Thomas broke the Colorado State single-season record for completion percentage, setting a mark of 64.7 percent in his freshman year. He also posted a solid passer efficiency rating of 121.17 and decreased his interceptions from 13 as a freshman to eight in his sophomore year at CSU.
The redshirt junior was the Wolfpack’s starting quarterback throughout 2013 spring drills, the first opportunity new head coach Dave Doeren had to coach his new team. Thomas will wear the No. 4 jersey for the Red and White this year.
If Thomas represents the remnants of the O’Brien era in Raleigh, then his main competitor for the starting quarterback slot symbolizes the dawn of Doeren’s time in charge of the Wolfpack.
Graduate student Brandon Mitchell transferred to N.C. State this summer and has one year of eligibility left. Since he enrolled in a graduate program not offered at his former school, Mitchell is eligible to play immediately for State under NCAA rules.
Mitchell, who will don No. 8 for the Pack this season, spent his first two seasons at Arkansas as the understudy to incumbent quarterback Tyler Wilson, who’s now playing for the National Football League’s Oakland Raiders.
Due to his superb athleticism, the 6-foot-4 graduate student made the switch to receiver for his junior year. Mitchell saw action in eight games last season, starting three of them, and compiling 17 catches for 272 yards over the course of a grueling SEC season.
The Louisiana native’s mobility sets him apart from Thomas, who rarely uses his feet to scramble. Mitchell, a dual-threat quarterback, falls firmly in the mold of the modern quarterback: one who is effective against defenses using both his arm and his legs.
This mobility gives Mitchell an advantage over Thomas coming into the 2013 season. Doeren found great success at Northern Illinois (no comma needed here) running an offense centered around a dual-threat quarterback, reaching a BCS bowl last season.
Based on NIU’s offensive system last season, Mitchell would seem to fit Doeren’s new offense better than Thomas. But Mitchell’s relative inexperience compared to Thomas could tip the scales back in the Californian’s favor.
The race is simply too close to call.
Doeren says that the ‘Pack will not designate a starter until game day of their opener against Louisiana Tech Aug. 31. Until then it’s anyone’s guess as to who will start for N.C. State this season, a far cry from seasons past.
