Wolfpack quarterbacks

N.C. State could field a starting five in basketball just with their quarterbacks in camp but only one will fit under center.

Thursday's first practice was the first time that all five of the signal callers were on the field at the same time. It also gave me a chance to watch each one for a hour. That's hardly enough time to choose a starter but I did notice a few things.

The first actual passing drill was on a roll out...some with play action, some with a straight roll.

Senior Daniel Evans was the first to take snaps and is listed first on the depth chart. He had off-season shoulder surgery on his passing wing and says his arm feels much stronger than at the end of last year. He had Mikhail Baryshnikov footwork that put him in place to make accurate throws. Daniel still won't light up a stopwatch or a radar gun but he has a knack of getting the ball to his receiver on time.

The second quarterback on the depth chart and to run drills was redshirt freshman Russell Wilson. His spring numbers were impressive enough to push Evans for the starting job. (34-60 passes for 410 yards and 3 touchdowns)  Wilson looked right at home on the roll out passes, whistling passes to a manager posing as a receiver. He had a tendency to drop his elbow a few times and at 5-11, he needs as high of a release point as possible.

Compared to the other quarterbacks, Harrison Beck looked slow and out of shape. His passes sometimes looked like those B-B's that came out of a cheap B-B gun you had as a kid.

Justin Burke looked better than Beck and I would have him fourth in the rotation just ahead of Beck.

The guy we all wanted to see was freshman Mike Glennon. The 6-6, 195-pound right-hander didn't disappoint. His passes zipped to their target and his footwork was polished. One way to judge a right-handed quarterback's technique is watch him roll left and throw. You really have to work to get those shoulders to fight against momentum, square to the target and make the pass. Glennon's technique was sharp and the velocity was about the same rolling left as it was rolling to his right.

That's the physical part.

The real test of a college quarterback comes in decision-making.  That takes practice and game situations to cultivate.

Knowing what we know right now, I would have Evans as the starter on opening day. But If Glennon can grasp the offense and stay away from the bonehead mistakes, it's going to be hard to keep him off the field this year.