Dave Doeren reveals early impressions of transfer quarterback Brennan Armstrong

NC State lost starting quarterback Devin Leary to the transfer portal following the 2022 season. This prompted head coach Dave Doeren to dip his toes into the portal and land Brennan Armstrong from Virginia.

Now, Doeren has explained his early impression from having Armstrong on the team.

“Well, it’s a great room,” Dave Doeren began. “You know, I think Ben [Finley] and MJ [Morris], great personalities, great team guys. Fun watching them grow up over the past 12 months, both of them, and excited about the way that they’re carrying themselves and look forward to watching them both this Spring and in the future.”

Ben Finley and MJ Morris are both young quarterbacks on NC State’s roster. Both of them got some significant playing time during the 2022 season and will be competing for the starting job with Armstrong.

“Brennan’s a competitor. He’s tough. Small town guy. Very blue-collar, hard-working, ultra-competitive, and the team runs all these competitions. We do. He thrived. He loves to compete, you see that. He’s quiet in how he goes about his business but he’s not quiet in how he works. He’s a really hard-working guy that’s got, you know, a very consistent way about himself. He’s the same every day, is what we’ve seen. Just ultra-competitive. Treats people with respect,” Dave Doeren said.

Brennan Armstrong brings a ton of experience to NC State. That includes working with new offensive coordinator Robert Anae, who was with Armstrong during his time at Virginia.

“You know, I think he’s quiet the way he talks to people, but he’s earned the respect of the guys around him already. It’s fun having someone who knows the offense as a player because he’s been very helpful going around with the other players. You can see he likes to serve others that way.”

Dave Doeren on the quarterback competition

Despite bringing in Brennan Armstrong, he won’t have a free pass to be the starter at NC State. He’ll still have to earn it. Dave Doeren explained that there is going to be a quarterback competition this season.

“I can’t tell you how it’s going to unfold. I mean, that’s why we’re practicing. But the quarterback position is the same as every position on the team. There’s competition there. Excited that we’ve been able to add an experienced player that has the background in our offense that Brennan [Armstrong] has,” Doeren said.

“Every position deserves competition. I think that’s what brings out the best in these guys and as we saw last year, it’s not just about who wins the starting job. It’s about the development of everybody because any of them could end up being our starter at any time.”