Redshirt sophomore quarterback Mike Glennon arrived in Raleigh in 2008 as one of the most highly touted freshmen in the nation. Two years later, thanks to sterling quarterback play from redshirt junior and two-sport star Russell Wilson, who has thrown for 48 touchdowns and 4,982 yards the past two seasons, Glennon’s prized arm has thrown just 39 passes for the Pack.
But with Wilson focusing on the baseball diamond this spring, the N.C. State huddle finally belongs to Glennon, at least for now.
“It feels good because this is what I came here to do,” Glennon said. “I came here to be the starter and go with the ones and right now I’m getting comfortable with them and they are getting comfortable with me. It has definitely been the spring I wanted it to be.”
Though coach Tom O’Brien recently said Wilson will definitely be back next season, Glennon is nevertheless approaching practice with a starter’s mentality.
“Everybody should act like they are going to be the starter, just preparing mentally and physically like they are going to be the guy,” Glennon said. “That’s how I’m approaching it. I’m just going to keep working hard and preparing myself like I’m going to be that guy, regardless of what decision Russell makes.”
Quarterbacks with Glennon’s potential often grow frustrated with prolonged waits for their turn as starter. But his relationship with his older brother, Sean Glennon, has provided Mike with a perspective and understanding uncommon among many players in his predicament.
Sean, a former quarterback at Virginia Tech, said his experience taught both him and his brother about the nature of playing on a team with two capable signal callers.
“I dealt with a similar situation at Virginia Tech,” Sean said. “Coaches felt that Tyrod Taylor was too talented of a guy to keep off the field so they found ways to get him in. My career prepared Mike mentally. I don’t think any of this is throwing him for a loop. He saw what happens when one team has two starting-caliber quarterbacks. One person is going to play more than the other and that is the bottom line. He realizes that and I don’t think he is bitter in any way.”
In the meantime, Mike is taking full advantage of the opportunity to lead the offense in Wilson’s absence, according to senior wide receiver Owen Spencer.
“He’s doing a very good job,” Spencer said. “With him and Russell going at it the past couple years, it’s really shaped both of them. With Russell being out, Mike is really stepping into the role of being a complete quarterback.”
Watching Sean’s games in person also allowed Mike to become accustomed to the bright lights and passionate fans of ACC football long before he ever made his collegiate debut.
“He’s a guy that’s not going to get rattled,” Sean said. “It helps that he went to all of those games that I was at. He knows what ACC football is about and he knows the atmosphere because he watched it for four years before he got to State. I don’t think the crowds or the national audiences will faze him.”
Mike showed off that brazen confidence early and often throughout his redshirt freshman season, in which he only saw action in seven games.
“A throw that didn’t end up being complete, but I thought it was one of the better throws he threw all year,” Sean said. “It was that seam ball that got tipped against South Carolina in the season opener. He was coming out of the gates on his first series ever,s and he had the gusto to step up and fire a ball that was a little risky. That showed right there his confidence in himself and that he’s not afraid to grip it and rip it, and he did that the whole season.”
Though a few of those passes fell into the hands of opposing defenders, Sean said he expects those throws to have positive long term consequences.
“Sometimes they were stupid, and he threw some interceptions,” Sean said. “It is all about growing and learning from them. Sometimes interceptions or bad, risky throws are the best ones you can make because you learn from them.”
Wilson’s return next fall will likely delay the day Pack fans finally see what Mike can do as the starter in a game atmosphere. But Sean said he expects his brother’s eventual emergence in O’Brien’s offense to be well worth the wait.
“He has officially broken out my shadow,” Sean said. “He is no longer just ‘Sean’s brother’. He is Mike Glennon, by himself. I am very excited for his future. With him being in O’Brien’s offense, you can see the potential, with what Russell does and with what [current Atlanta Falcons star] Matt Ryan did, to put up big numbers and be a very impressive quarterback in his system. Once Mike gets his chance, he is going to shine. I sincerely believe he is going to end up being one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC by the time he is the guy.”
Saturday’s Kay Yow Spring Football Game at Carter Finley Stadium will provide fans with their first opportunity to witness Mike in extensive action running the first team offense.
“We’re going to put on a show,” Spencer said. “I’m pretty sure everyone wants to see what [Mike] Glennon’s got, and they will get to see it first-hand.”
