NC State football quarterback battle looms over spring
NC State football started spring practices Wednesday morning and will culminate with the scrimmage in Carter-Finley Stadium on April 8. Between now and then, many fans will be seeking clues about who may be the starting quarterback for the Wolfpack in 2023.
Virginia transfer Brennan Armstrong may be the perceived favorite over fourth-year redshirt sophomore Ben Finley and redshirt freshman MJ Morris, but both head coach Dave Doeren and offensive coordinator Robert Anae insist there is a competition.
“Every position deserves a competition,” Doeren stated. “I think that’s what brings out the best, and … as we saw last year, it’s not just about the starting job. It’s about the development of everybody because any of them could end up being our starter at any point in time.
“This could go on for a while, referring to the quarterback job or any others. I told the team this spring is a chance for us to grow, learn, get better. It positions you to be a starter going into fall camp, not going into the first game. … There’s a long time ahead of this thing, and I look forward to all the guys on the team competing this spring.”
And based on what Anae has seen thus far, there are reasons to be excited. Anae comes to NC State after a season at Syracuse, but before that he was Armstrong’s coordinator at Virginia when the quarterback set many passing records for the Cavaliers.
Anae noted that the group was already strong with the experience Finley and Morris gained in 2022. Morris led the Pack to wins over Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, while Finley quarterbacked a rivalry triumph for NC State football over North Carolina on the road.
“Everybody stays healthy, this should be one of the top position groups in the conference, in terms of production, in terms of experience,” Anae noted. “I think the group now, that room, has a chance to really make a statement in the conference.”
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Doeren is more familiar with Finley and Morris, but he has noticed a strong competitive streak in Armstrong, even if the newcomer to NC State is quiet in nature.
“He’s tough, small-town guy, very blue collar, hard work and ultra-competitive,” Doeren noted. “In the team runs, all the competitions we do, he thrived. He loves to compete, you see that. He’s quiet, how he goes about his business, but he’s not quiet in how he works. He’s a really hardworking guy that’s got a very consistent way about himself.”
Anae noted that Armstrong has a lot of grit in his game.
“My work in training and development with Brennan, we started with his legs, what he can do on the ground running the football,” Anae noted. “And that was the starting point with his recruiting. Once he got to campus, I was like, ‘Whoa, dang, this guy could really throw the football.’
“Coming from a little, country high school to a college offense was not easy, but to his credit, he’s very [gritty], a lot of determination and learned stuff on the run.”
Anae noted that all three of the quarterbacks will receive reps “in a rotational fashion” during NC State’s spring practices.
“We don’t have a starter,” Anae clarified.
