From No. 11 To a Big ?
So, Jim Grobe was asked Tuesday afternoon, how is the quarterback derby shaping up now that the Riley Skinner era is over at Wake Forest?
“Isn’t,’’ Grobe said. “It isn’t right now. We’ve got a lot of energy, but guys are hyperventialing a little bit right now. They’re used to having Riley out there and he calmed everybody down and everybody kind of followed his lead. Now there’s no lead being followed out there.
“But it’s good. There’s a lot of energy, and we’ll find somebody. It’s just that nobody has jumped out. There’s nobody who’s got a big lead right now.’‘
If you can make it by BB&T Field by 9:30 Saturday morning, you can judge for yourself when the Deacons go through a controlled scrimmage. The two leaders appear to be freshman Brendan Cross and redshirt freshman Ted Stachitas, though sophomore Skylar Jones is also back in the picture after returning to quarterback after a fall fling at wide receiver. And in a move that surprised even Demetrius Gibson, the Deacons’ veteran equipment manager, Patrick Thompson was assigned a quarterback’s jersey, No. 14, when he showed up for practice as a grayshirt. On signing date in February, Grobe had said that Thompson would play linebacker. The brother of Zach Thompson, the Deacons’ freshman defensive end, he’s bigger than Cross, Stachitas and Jones at 6-2,200 pounds and he also appears to have a strong arm.
Anything is possible, as we found out from this unknown kid from Bolles School who got the last scholarship back in 2005.
But the longer it takes those now competing to lock down the job, the more likely it will become that Tanner Price of Austin, Tex, might just become a viable candidate when he arrives in time for fall practice.