At 6 o'clock (EST) today, junior college quarterback Brent Schaeffer will announce his college decision. He's expected to choose either N.C. State or Mississippi, although some reports still have Wisconsin also in contention.

Recruiting freaks -- given what I do for a living, you should know that I use that as a term of endearment -- already know plenty about Schaeffer. Meanwhile, recruiting skeptics ask: Who cares?

Schaeffer matters, primarily, because he's a very talented QUARTERBACK. Healthy college football programs always have multiple promising QBs on the roster at any given time, because not everyone turns out like Philip Rivers. Most guys don't make it, in fact, so it's important to have a lot of quality candidates for the job.

Unhealthy college football programs typically lack reliable depth, and the worst place to have a hole is at quarterback. Just ask the 2004 Maryland and NCSU teams, which had plenty of quality personnel on hand at other positions but suffered losing seasons in large part because of terrible play behind center.

Within the ACC, Miami will have talented rising junior Kyle Wright at QB next season. Florida State will have a promising second-year starter in Drew Weatherford. Boston College (Matt Ryan), Georgia Tech (Reggie Ball) and Maryland (Sam Hollenbach) also will have an experienced player returning at the most important position on the field. Clemson likes the potential of rising senior Will Proctor, who took some important snaps last fall.

State has rising junior Marcus Stone, who directed the team's resurgence in 2005 after taking over for departing senior Jay Davis, but nobody who watched Stone play can be certain that he's the answer. (The Pack turned its season around mainly with great defense, a revived running game and by limiting its penalties and turnovers.) Behind Stone in 2006 will be youngsters Daniel Evans and Mike Greco, plus incoming freshman Justin Burke of Kentucky.

If Schaeffer signs with State, he instantly will become the best combination of athleticism, experience, running ability and passing skill on the Wolfpack roster. The California junior college offensive player of the year, he threw for 2,576 yards and 36 touchdowns last season, and he rushed for 764 yards and nine TDs, for a team that averaged 42 points per game.

As a prep All-American from Deerfield Beach, Fla., Schaeffer once told the N.C. State coaches he would sign with the Wolfpack. On signing day, though, he surprised the Pack and many others by sending his signed letter of intent to Tennessee instead.

In 2004, Schaeffer became the first true freshman quarterback in 59 years to start an SEC opener, but his career with the Vols unraveled when UT suspended him in April 2005, in the aftermath of a misdemeanor assault charge (he ultimately pled guilty to a lesser offense) that stemmed from an altercation in a dormitory.

Now the Wolfpack is standing at the altar again, waiting to see if Schaeffer will say yes this time. If he does, the Pack will have one more promising option behind center this fall.

If Schaeffer again disappoints the Pack, it'll be one more painful offseason hit for a program that's still stinging from the departures of a half-dozen productive seniors (Brian Clark, Tramain Hall, Oliver Hoyte, Marcus Hudson, Manny Lawson, T.J. Williams), four talented, NFL-bound underclassmen (Mario Williams, John McCargo, Derek Morris, Stephen Tulloch), yet another assistant coach (Manny Diaz), and a 2005-06 recruiting campaign that thus far has fallen far short of expectations.

EVENING UPDATE: Schaeffer picked Mississippi.