For the first time in two years, there is no question about the starting quarterback for N.C. State going into the spring football game, which takes place tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Coach Chuck Amato said he has seen improvement among junior quarterback Marcus Stone and that he is ready to take on the task of leading the football team.

“He’s really taken the approach of putting in the time on his own,” Amato said. “He puts in a lot of time of his own studying the game. There’s no question who the quarterback is.”

Even though Stone has the job now, Amato said anything can change after the spring game or when the fall season starts.

Quarterback Justin Burke, the Wolfpack’s coveted recruit from Lexington, Ky. who passed for more than 3,500 yards and 62 touchdowns in high school, was included in the conversation

“Playing time — I don’t know, but we’re going to find out what he can do,” Amato said.

“That’s why we signed him. There’s no doubt. I tell the whole team this — your spring practice is now. We’ve signed some awfully good freshmen at all positions. Their spring practice happens in two-a-days.”

With four early entries to this year’s NFL Draft– defensive end Mario Williams, defensive tackle John McCargo, offensive lineman Derek Morris and linebacker Stephen Tullock, Amato said it’s tough to see players leave early, especially if they haven’t earned a degree.

“I hate to hear young men, and I didn’t hear Mario say it, that I’ve done everything I can in college,” Amato said. “No you haven’t, son; you haven’t got your degree. That’s why you went to college — to get a degree.”

He added it’s tough to lose such talent because the team planned to have the players compete for the duration of their eligibility.

Amato said the team needs to move forward and have someone step in to fill the position.

“All we can do is talk to them and give them advice and hope for the best, really hope for the best,” Amato said.

“We’re going about our business like they all graduated. Their eligibility is up, and we’re going on. Now that hurts because we expected to have them, but let’s go forward.”

In spite of losing a lot of talent, Amato said he is hoping for a healthy offensive line.

“You’ve got Leroy [Harris] in the middle, who is an outstanding football player. He really, really is. Leroy could play defense; he is so athletic,” Amato said.

“The tackles, you’ve got [James] Newby, who has been starting for the last two years and then Jon Holt who played, I believe, every snap but four against Virginia Tech when we played them up there two years ago because of an injury to Morris.”

He said guards Kalani Heppe and Curtis Crouch should play a large role on the offensive line as well.

“You go to guard and you have Heppe, who started at the beginning of the season until he got hurt, and the other guy, Crouch, played 60-something snaps in the bowl game,” Amato said. “Boy is he — I think he’s going to be something special.”

With a non-conference schedule of Appalachian State, Akron and Southern Mississippi, Amato said the conference schedule brings all the challenges a team could possibly want throughout a whole season.

“We play in the toughest conference in America,” Amato said. “BCS opponents — Florida State, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Miami, Clemson — you’re talking about a league. Yeah, we’ve got it real easy.”

Without the same level of star-power as last year and with the spring game on the horizon, Amato said even though everyone wants to stand out, each athlete is working hard to help one another.

“That’s one of the biggest things I’ve seen with these young men,” Amato said. “Everybody wants to be the hero, but they’ve shown a lot of unselfishness.”