Newcomer Brennan Armstrong set for quarterback competition in Pack’s spring practice
Brennan Armstrong didn’t have a hard decision to make after the 2022 football season, nor did the quarterback take long to make it.
Robert Anae had been named the new offensive coordinator at N.C. State. Armstrong played for Anae at Virginia in 2021, setting several school offensive records.
Armstrong officially entered the NCAA transfer portal, but that was pretty much a formality. He quickly knew where he wanted to transfer.
“I wanted to find a place where I could succeed in, and I thought this place was bottom-line it,” Armstrong said Friday on a media call.
Not only had Anae been hired to replace former offensive coordinator Tim Beck, but Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren also brought in Garett Tujague, the offensive line coach at Virginia who recruited Armstrong out of Shelby (Ohio) High.
“I wanted to find a place that was established, and (Doeren) being here for his 11th season that was already established — the culture and everything,” he said. “I just wanted to be a piece I could be picked up and put in.”
When the Wolfpack’s spring practice begins Wednesday, Armstrong will join quarterbacks MJ Morris and Ben Finley in what the three say will be an open competition to determine the starter.
“I was told the best man is going to get the job,” Morris said Friday. “That’s my mindset. I know my skill set, and I’m confident in my skill set.”
Morris, who had a knee procedure after the season, said he’s healthy and has been diligently studying the Anae offense.
“I don’t want to go out in the spring looking clueless,” he said, smiling. “This is my first spring practice. I came in May last year. I’m ready to experience that and go out there and compete every day.”
So, too, is Finley, who went from scout-team quarterback to QB1 by the end of the 2022 season.
“I think it’s going to be a three-way competition,” Finley said Friday. “I don’t think anyone now is designated as the starter.”
Morris and Finley say they’ll do their best to make Armstrong comfortable with his new digs. Armstrong, in turn, can help his new teammates more quickly understand the intricacies and terminology of Anae’s offense.
“I’m an open book,” Armstrong said. “They can come talk to me about anything.”
Armstrong, a left-handed passer and graduate student, calls it a “quarterback friendly” offense. The key, as with all teams, is for there to be a friendly quarterback room, with egos put aside.
“We’re here to compete but we’re also here to help each other,” Armstrong said. “The competition will help each other grow. It’s been pretty easy, honestly. The competition is hot, but that’s what makes us better.”
At Virginia, 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.
With head coach Bronco Mendenhall leaving coaching and Anae leaving Virginia for Syracuse after the 2021 season, Armstrong’s numbers dipped in Tony Elliott’s first year as Virginia’s head coach: 2,210 passing yards, seven touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2022.
“There was so much going on, the transition, a whole new offense,” Armstrong said. “There were a plethora of things that caused us not to be as dynamic.
“With Coach Anae, he lets the quarterback play free. It makes him not have to think. It’s just a feeling I get when I’m in it. Guys play without hesitation.”
The Pack’s quarterback position was in constant flux last season. Devin Leary, the ACC preseason player of the year, was lost to a pectoral injury. Jack Chambers, a transfer, started but was ineffective. Morris got his turn, starting as a true freshman and having a few big games, then injured his knee.
By year’s end, Finley was the starter against North Carolina. He led the Pack to the 30-27 double-overtime win over UNC, but did not play as well as he wanted or expected in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl loss to Maryland in Charlotte.
“The bowl game was really upsetting for me,” Finley said Friday. “It was a frustrating experience. But last year was rewarding and prepared me to get better.”
This story was originally published February 24, 2023 at 3:59 PM.
