Former Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong confirms he’s transferring to NC State

The hiring of Robert Anae as offensive coordinator has helped N.C. State bring in another quarterback.

Brennan Armstrong, who played for Anae at Virginia and set school records in 2021, announced Saturday on social media that it was “Time to run with the Pack” and would join the Wolfpack program as a transfer.

Anae left Virginia after the 2021 season, going to Syracuse, then was hired by Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren to replace Tim Beck as offensive coordinator. Beck left to become head coach at Coastal Carolina.

Armstrong, a lefthander, entered the NCAA transfer portal in early December and speculation quickly began that he might join Anae at N.C. State — the Wolfpack also hired Virginia offensive line coach Garett Tujague as its new line coach.

Armstrong set single-season records for yards passing (4,449) and touchdowns (31) under Anae in 2021, passing for a school-record 554 yards in one game. But with head coach Bronco Mendenhall and Anae leaving Virginia after the 2021 season, Armstrong’s numbers dipped significantly in Tony Elliott’s first year as the Virginia head coach: 2,210 passing yards, seven touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2022.

Armstrong’s arrival at NC. State should make for some interesting quarterback competition during spring practice and then fall camp. MJ Morris and Ben Finley both started games for the Pack this season, Morris becoming the first true freshman to start at QB since Philip Rivers in 2000.

The Armstrong transfer is similar to another “package deal” of offensive coordinator and his former quarterback. Eli Drinkwitz was named OC for the Wolfpack in 2016 and was soon joined at NCSU by quarterback Ryan Finley, the older brother of Ben Finley.

In an interesting twist, N.C. State is scheduled to play at Virginia in the 2023 season.

Chip Alexander

The News & Observer

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In more than 40 years at The N&O, Chip Alexander has covered the N.C. State, UNC, Duke and East Carolina beats, and now is in his 15th season on the Carolina Hurricanes beat. Alexander, who has won numerous writing awards at the state and national level, covered the Hurricanes’ move to North Carolina in 1997 and was a part of The N&O’s coverage of the Canes’ 2006 Stanley Cup run.