ACC’s Heisman hopes a long shot

Gambling website Bodog.com published odds Tuesday on 38 players’ chances to win the 2011 Heisman Trophy.

Not surprisingly, you have to scroll down a ways before you find an ACC name. Only three players from the conference made the cut.

EJ Manuel (QB, Fla St.) … 60-1

Danny O’Brien (QB, Maryland) … 75-1

David Wilson (RB, Va. Tech) … 90-1

Manuel figures to be the consensus as preseason ACC Player of the Year, so it’s no surprise he gets the most support in Vegas.

‘Noles fans might not be happy to see that much maligned Florida Gators’ quarterback John Brantley shares the same odds as Manuel.

Despite being a major disappointment in 2010 (9 TD, 10 Int.), I do think Brantley will rebound nicely thanks to a change in the team’s offensive philosophy. Brantley was a square peg in a round hole in Urban Meyer’s spread option offense last season, but should fit much better in Charlie Weis’ pro-style scheme. Nevertheless, I don’t think FSU fans will take too kindly to Brantley’s level odds with Manuel after the Seminoles waxed Brantley and the Gators 31-7 last season.

The Hype-o-Meter on Manuel is on full blast, and at 60-1 odds, I’d take a serious look at him. If he can lead the ‘Noles past Oklahoma in week 3 en route to a national championship game (not out of the question), he would be a premier candidate for the award. Call it the Carson Palmer syndrome for being credited as the savior of a sleeping giant. Manuel’s got a shot.

As for O’Brien and Wilson, I wouldn’t hold my breath. How O’Brien has better odds then West Virginia QB Geno Smith (90-1) is beyond me. O’Brien lost his top two skill players in Da’Rel Scott and Torrey Smith, while Geno Smith is coming off a very strong sophomore season (24 TD, 7 Int.) and now is under the tutelage of offensive guru Dana Holgerson.

Smith’s numbers could be off the chart, not to mention the fact that he’s on a team with a better chance to reach the upper echelon of the Top 25 by season’s end. O’Brien will be lucky to win eight games this season with the lack of a proven cast around him. No way in hell the quarterback for the 8-4 Maryland Terrapins even sniffs the Heisman.

Even at 90-1, I wouldn’t touch Wilson either. Even when Ryan Williams ran for nearly 1700 yards and 25+ touchdowns, it wasn’t enough to be seriously considered for the award. Wilson will see plenty of carries, and with his game-changing speed he could definitely produce that “Heisman moment” if you will, but only one running back has won the award in since 1999. If you’ve got $10 to lose, go right ahead with Wilson. I mean, it’s better than using it on Marcus Coker at the same odds.

(Coker is the Iowa running back…yeah)

Ranking the ACC’s Backup QB’s

You’re always just one play away.

Backup quarterbacks hear that phrase on a daily basis. It’s so commonplace now that it could be difficult to truly grasp its magnitude.

Just ask Stephen Morris, or EJ Manuel how quickly your responsibility goes from signaling in the play-call to having to dissect a cover-2 defense up close and personal.

The starting quarterback is the most important player on a football team, but the backup is not far behind. There are plenty of teams over the years that have had their seasons derailed after losing their top gunner.

The ACC is breaking in seven new full-time starting quarterbacks in 2011. In the world of college football today, where the best recruits go where they can play as soon as possible, it’s difficult to build quality depth at quarterback. It’s hard enough bring in one big-time prospect every three or four years. Which makes developing depth at the position an art at the collegiate level.

Let’s take a look at who’s in good shape with their backup quarterback situation, and who will be crossing their fingers this season.

1.     Miami

Morris and incumbent starter Jacory Harris are neck-and-neck for the starting spot this fall. While both have their flaws, either one will be a tremendous backup to the other. They figure to split time early in the season, but Miami is definitely in better shape than most of the country if its signal caller goes down.

2.     Boston College

David Shinskie was a major flop in his year and a half as the starter, but any time you have a guy with that much starting experience standing on the sideline, you can breathe a little easier. Shinskie completed only 48 percent of his passes in 2011, with five touchdowns and six interceptions. With Montel Harris capable of shouldering a heavy load at running back, Shinskie would be perfectly capable of managing the game in Chase Rettig’s absence.

3.     North Carolina

The Tar Heels have three guys fighting for the right to back up Bryn Renner. Braden Hanson is a former Under Armour All-American, and he may have the inside track to the spot. Blue, a sophomore, and Williams, a freshman, make up in athleticism what they lack in experience. It’s often beneficial to throw a young quarterback in the fire when he’s able to make big plays out of seemingly nothing. That gives Blue or Wiliams a leg up on Hanson. Either way, the Heels will have a backup quarterback who can handle the pressure.

4.     Duke

Brandon Connette has game experience, which is more than can be said for the rest of the teams on this list. He’s a significant running threat whom David Cutcliffe used in red zone situations in a Tim Tebow-esque role. While Connette only attempted 22 passes last season, he ran for eight touchdowns on 78 carries, second-most on the team. The Blue Devils will have to shift around their playing style if Connette has to take the reins for an extended amount of time, but he won’t be fazed by the opportunity.

5.     Georgia Tech

Tevin Washington, who took over after Joshua Nesbitt’s season-ending broken arm last season, is trying to fend off freshman Synjyn Days for the starting job. Washington was solid, not spectacular last year. He averaged 4.43 yards per carry (Nesbitt averaged 4.44) and ran for four touchdowns. He does not have a very strong arm, which is important for the Jackets who rely on the occasional vertical passing threat to keep defenses from loading the box to stop the run. Days is pushing hard for the job and is a more natural fit for the job. It’s likely Days will take over at some point this season. For now, Days has a lot of potential as the second-string guy.

6.     Virginia 

After a four-way battle ensued all spring, it seems like Mike London has settled on either Ross Metheny or Michael Strauss as his starting quarterback. Neither are going to take the Cavaliers to the Orange Bowl, but again, at least you know there’s not a big drop-off from the No. 1 to No. 2 guy.

7.     Florida State

Unfortunately for Jimbo Fisher, he doesn’t have a future high draft pick waiting in the wings any more. The EJ Manuel era has begun, and backing him up will be redshirt freshman Clint Trickett. According to Tomahawk Nation, Trickett is “competent, knows the scheme, grew up around Jimbo and the program.” Trickett’s father Rick is the team’s offensive line coach. He’s a former three-star recruit who can handle a large chunk of the playbook if called upon. He’s got plenty of weapons to work with, that’s for sure.

8.     Wake Forest

The Deacs are actually in pretty decent shape at quarterback, which is more than can be said for the rest of the roster. Ted Stachitas missed the second half of last season with a back injury, but returned with a strong effort this spring. He won’t beat out Tanner Price for the starting spot, but he’s definitely good enough to keep Price working to hold onto the job. Stachitas originally won the starting job last year before giving way to Price early on.

9.     Virginia Tech

Ju-Ju Clayton seemed firmly entrenched as Logan Thomas’ back-up, until redshirt freshman Mark Leal closed out spring practice very strong. Leal looked like a very…very poor man’s Tyrod Taylor during public scrimmages, but he already seems to be a better decision maker and clearly a better natural athlete than Clayton. If Leal can add some strength and further grasp the playbook, he’ll beat out Clayton in fall camp, that much seems clear. That said, Leal is not ready to hold down the ship in Thomas’ absence. It’ll be interesting to see how the coaching staff balances Thomas and Leal’s playing time in potential early-season blowouts against Appalachian State, Marshall and Arkansas State.

10.  Maryland

C.J. Brown broke his collarbone in week two last season, costing him precious practice time as a redshirt freshman. With the recent transfer of Tyler Smith, Brown is all of a sudden the unquestioned backup for Danny O’Brien. He was a three-star dual-threat recruit out of Pennsylvania in 2009, and has a good frame at 6-foot-3. Still, there’s quite a drop-off from O’Brien to Brown, and that’s something Maryland fans hope this is the most they read about Brown all year.

11.  NC State

Tyler Brosius is an intriguing prospect who could’ve easily used another year as the third-string quarterback behind Russell Wilson and Mike Glennon. With Wilson out of the fold, Brosius has to be ready to play now if need be. He seems competent, as evidenced by an 11-of-17 effort for 95 yards in the spring game. O’Brien likely will add someone in the upcoming recruiting class to compete with Brosius in two years when Glennon has departed, but Brosius seems to have starting-QB potential down the line.

12.  Clemson

Behind Tajh Boyd, it’s basically a mess for the Tigers. True freshman Cole Stoudt was in for spring practice and should be the back-up come September. He’s an extremely raw product who was just 6-of-22 passing in the spring game (of course, Boyd was only 8-of-24). Boyd has plenty of room for progress in his own right, but there’s no question he’s got to be on the field for Clemson to have any hope of competing for an ACC championship.

Post-Spring Power Rankings

1. Florida State

The Seminoles return 18 starters off a team that looked very, very good the last time we saw them. They beat the SEC East Champs South Carolina 26-17 in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. I’m as high as anyone on EJ Manuel’s potential. The MVP of the ‘Noles past two bowl wins is a darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback. He’s got weapons like Bert Reed, Taiwan Easterling, and Chris Thompson to give the offense plenty of firepower. Brandon Jenkins anchors a defensive that should remind people of Seminole defenses of old.

2.     Virginia Tech

The Hokies’ biggest concern – literally – was answered this spring when 6-6, 250-pound quarterback Logan Thomas looked ready to assume the starting job. He has the most experienced receiving corps in the conference to help him out, including Marcus Davis, who looks like the next breakout star for the league. Bud Foster won’t allow another mediocre season defensively like 2010. The Hokies are deeper on that side of the ball, led by a dynamic secondary.

3.     Boston College

I have Boston College higher than most anywhere else I’ve seen. The Eagles are my pick to surprise everyone this year with a nine or so-win season. Chase Rettig got a big help when Frank Spaziani hired Kevin Rogers, whose former pupils include Brett Favre, Bryan Randall and Donovan McNabb, to coach the quarterbacks. He’ll be much more prepared to succeed as a sophomore. Luke Kuechly is still a tackling machine, and he’s going to be the leader of a young defense with a lot of potential. The Eagles aren’t going to be truly tested until an Oct. 8 trip to Clemson, meaning they should have five important wins under their belt out of the gate.

4.     North Carolina

The Tar Heels lost nine players to the NFL, yet somehow still seem chock full of future pros this upcoming season. Donte Paige-Moss is another prodigy at defensive end, as is Quinton Coples. The defense will be the fastest in the league. The question for Carolina is how long it takes Bryn Renner to be comfortable as a passer with a load of receiving talent. Thankfully, he has the conference’s best offensive line to protect him. There’s hardly any depth at running back, so it could be up to the Carolina defense to carry the burden, especially early in the season.

5.     Miami

Al Golden was successful this spring with integrating his philosophy into the program. He’s a gritty Midwesterner who instantly garnered the respect of his players. He’s got more talent now than he ever dreamed of dealing with at Temple, but there’s just one problem: he can’t pick a quarterback. Should it be the veteran but turnover-prone Jacory Harris, or the younger, less experienced Stephen Morris? Morris regressed during Miami’s embarrassing loss to Notre Dame in the Sun Bowl, and the battle this spring ended in a dead heat. Most think Harris will get the nod, but an inevitable game of musical chairs at QB will hold the Hurricanes back in Golden’s first season.

6.     Clemson

The Tigers will look completely new on offense this fall with Chad Morris calling the offense. Morris, the former Tulsa offensive coordinator comes from the Gus Malzahn school of spread offense, and will have the Tigers operating at a breakneck pace. Can new starting quarterback Tajh Boyd keep up? He was 8-of-24 in the Tigers’ spring game, which is not encouraging. The learning curve is steep in this offense, and Boyd must come back to fall camp with a better grasp of the playbook, or everything else won’t matter. The middle stretch of the Tigers’ schedule is absolutely brutal, despite four home games.

7.     Maryland

Danny O’Brien connected a 65-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the Terps’ spring game. I’d say that’s picking up where the 2010 ACC Freshman of the Year left off. Maryland lost a helluva lot of talent on both sides of the ball, most notably RB Da’Rel Scott, WR Torrey Smith and LB Alex Wujciak. Kenny Tate was moved from safety to linebacker this spring in hopes that he can be even more of a playmaker. It’s working so far; he made 11 tackles in the spring game. The Terps won’t be an easy opponent for anyone, but there are just too many questions in important areas to rank them any higher right now.

8.     North Carolina State

I’m going to try to make it through this without mentioning Russell Wilson. Crap. Anyway, if Mike Glennon wasn’t ready for the big show, there’s no way Tom O’Brien would’ve been so comfortable shoving one of the most accomplished passers in ACC history out the door. Mustafa Greene showed a lot of potential as a freshman running back last year, and he must build on that in 2011. T.J. Graham is one of the fastest players in America at receiver. The passing defense was atrocious towards the end of last season, and lost its star in linebacker Nate Irving, who as a tremendous pass rusher. The ‘Pack are deeper across the board, but will still have to outscore teams again this season to win too many games.

9.     Duke

Nobody wants to admit it, but Duke is getting better. Last year its offense was one of the more powerful in the conference. Most every key part is back as well, including quarterback Sean Renfree and receivers Connor Vernon and Donovan Varner. The defense is what kept Duke at the bottom of the standings last year, but it showed improvement this spring and the Blue Devils are a capable foe for anyone – yes, anyone – they will face this season.

10.  Georgia Tech

A combination of issues derailed Georgia Tech’s season last year. Injuries of course, but also a lack of any threat to pass, and worst of all – the league is starting to figure out the triple option. Still, if executed at a high level, Paul Johnson’s offense can be successful. Tevin Washingon needs to make significant strides under center or he may lose the job to freshman Synjyn Days. Receiver Stephen Hill has to be more a downfield threat. The key to the Jackets’ 2009 ACC Title run was Demaryius Thomas’ big-play ability. Hill needs to fill that void. The defense is still adjusting to Al Groh’s 3-4 philosophy. It’s going to take another year or two to assemble the right personnel to have success.

11.  Wake Forest

The Deacons are still very young, but there is some reason to hope they’ll be better than the 3-9 outfit we saw in 2010. Tanner Price looks like the guy at quarterback, and he’ll look to have a more consistent sophomore season. Josh Harris is a track star who has 1,000-yard potential at running back if he can stay healthy. All four starters return in the secondary, and Kyle Wilber is back at defensive end after a six-sack campaign last season. The Deacons are still a year away from being in the mix for bowl eligibility again.

12.  Virginia

Plain and simple, it doesn’t matter what improvements the Wahoos make across the board if they don’t have a quarterback they’re confident in. Four players battled it out this spring for the starting job and no one stood out from the group. Ross Metheny or Michael Strauss will earn the starting job by all accounts, but it was clear during the Cavs’ spring game that it’s going to be difficult to move the ball. Mike London will have to put together a couple more 17^th-ranked recruiting classes before he pulls Virginia out of this mess.

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Disagree? Of course you do! Please leave a comment, or let me know on Twitter — @JoshParcell

Randy Edsall’s hiring means more of the same at Maryland

Maryland Athletic Director Kevin Anderson shot for the moon when he ousted Ralph Friedgen as head football coach. When he hired Randy Edsall on Sunday afternoon, he settled at stopping halfway.

Edsall spent 12 years guiding a Connecticut program through its transition from Division I-AA to I-A and into the Big East conference.

Less than 18 hours after leading the Huskies on the field in its first-ever BCS bowl game in Glendale, Ariz., Edsall was reportedly in College Park, Md. to accept the University of Maryland’s head coaching job.

Edsall did an admiral job of bringing the Huskies from college football abyss to Big East champions. However, since joining the conference in 2004, the Huskies are a mere 22-26 against league opponents. In fact, 2010 was just the second time in seven seasons that UConn finished with a winning record in Big East play. Edsall overcame too many obstacles to count just to bring the Huskies to where they are today.

His reputation as a program builder made him ideal an ideal candidate at larger schools in need of an overhaul. Ironically, he comes to Maryland as it comes off one of its more successful seasons in program history. The Terrapins came within one game of playing in the ACC Championship Game, led by ACC Rookie of the Year Danny O’Brien at quarterback. Since 2007, Maryland’s recruiting classes have been rated between fifth and eighth in the ACC. The Terrapins aren’t in crisis mode.

In fact, it couldn’t be a better time for the right coach to take Maryland to the next level.

When Anderson talked about the direction of the program, he said, “This was a good football team (last year)…I want it to be great.”

Is Edsall the guy to make it great? He’s not the transcendent hire that Mike Leach, with his Air-Raid offense and his pirate-like antics, would have been.

Leach would have excited a fan base that has gradually lost interest in the program. Not to mention he was buddy-buddy with the program’s most prominent booster, Under Armour CEO and Maryland alum Kevin Plank.

Maryland isn’t a program where you can hire a no-frails coach and expect to consistently contend for ACC titles. Leach was the Terrapins’ lone shot at landing a difference-maker.

Edsall does not have the resources at Maryland to elevate the program. His track record proves he’ll win often, but not necessarily win big. Especially when Jimbo Fisher appears ready to take off at Florida State and leave the rest of the division, if not the entire conference, behind.

Edsall is not a bad hire. In fact, bringing him to Maryland would have been much more impressive had it not appeared that Leach was a lock to be the guy instead.

Edsall will likely have equivalent success to what Friedgen had over the last decade, but Edsall is 11 years younger. Anderson could have taken a much worse route in choosing Friedgen’s successor.

When Maryland began this search, it hoped to make a “splash.”

In choosing Edsall, Anderson and his cohorts made barely a ripple.

Wolfpack need one more win to cap surprising 2010 campaign

It’s hard to believe that only four short months ago, I scribbled of NC State:

“(Coach Tom) O’Brien needs to win now. He made a name for himself at Boston College for consistently winning at least 8 games every year. His teams were rarely in the front of the conference race, but they were never far behind. He came to NC State with the idea that he would have more resources in place to build an even better program.”

Finally, the Wolfpack are within 60 minutes of their first-ever appearance in the ACC Championship Game.

After a 4-0 start had the Raleigh campus overly optimistic, Virginia Tech silenced the Wolfpack with a 41-30 win at Carter-Finley Stadium. After a 44-17 win against a struggling Boston College team, the Wolfpack played their worst game of the season in a 33-27 loss to East Carolina.

Prior to the Hokies’ loss, the school started a mid-season Heisman Trophy campaign for quarterback Rusell Wilson. He was intercepted three times against Tech and three more against East Carolina.

At that point, it seemed the ‘Pack were headed for another disappointing season under O’Brien.

To their credit, however, they recovered with wins over Florida State, Wake Forest and North Carolina. Only an ugly road loss to Clemson marred the late-season surge.

Still, all O’Brien has to do to finally legitimize his tenure is beat Maryland on the road this Saturday.

If they hope to do so, it’s going to require a great effort from the defense. In their three losses, ‘Pack opponents completed 60% of their passes. Maryland quarterback Danny O’Brien is a lock for ACC Rookie of the Year. He’s completing just 54% of his passes, but he’s thrown 17 touchdowns with only six interceptions.

Nate Irving has been a resurgent presence on the Wolfpack defense this season. After missing all of 2009, Irving is a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year with 85 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss and five sacks. He’ll be a key in pressuring O’Brien into making mistakes.

O’Brien was last seen throwing a costly last-minute interception last week against Florida State. Trailing by seven points with a minute to go, O’Brien was intercepted by Nick Moody, who returned it 94 yards for a touchdown.

Until that moment, the Terps were still alive for the Atlantic Division title. The question is, now that they are eliminated, with how much emotion will they play on Saturday?

A win would likely put the Terps in the Music City Bowl, which is hardly a motivational factor compared to a division title.

This has the chance to be a dream season for NC State, which hasn’t won the ACC in more than three decades.

Going into Byrd Stadium and coming away victorious won’t be easy. Should the ‘Pack make it out alive, they’ll have earned their ticket to Charlotte fair and square.

Even if no one saw it coming.

Football weekend wrap-up: November 20

One division title was decided on Saturday, while the other saw its race whittled down to two teams.

Virginia Tech overcame a slow start to dominate Miami in the second half, winning 31-17 on the road. It was the Hokies’ ninth straight win; their longest streak since 1999.

With the Coastal Division in hand, they will face Virginia next Saturday for a chance to become the first team to run the table in the ACC since 2000.

Ryan Williams said his hamstring wouldn’t be 100 percent until he could rest it after the season. Whatever percent it is now, it’s still better than just about anyone else. Williams showed the explosiveness that made him a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate with a 142-yard, two-touchdown output.

The day kicked off with a thrilling rivalry game between North Carolina and NC State. The Wolfpack trailed 19-10 in the third quarter, but came back to win 29-25. They had to hold on late when North Carolina scored to come within two points, but a failed two-point conversion try left NC State standing.

The win moved the Wolfpack to 5-2 in ACC play, tied with Florida State for the time being.

The Seminoles edged Maryland in a tough environment, 30-16. The Terps were knocking on the door in the final minute down a touchdown, but Nick Moody intercepted a Danny O’Brien pass and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown.

Banged-up FSU quarterback Christian Ponder completed 16-of-26 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown. It was the Seminoles’ defense, however, that won the game. Mark Stoops’ unit forced four turnovers despite giving up 432 yards of total offense.

Maryland’s hopes for an improbable ACC title run were shattered with the loss, while Florida State now must hope the Terrapins can play spoiler next week against the Wolfpack. If NC State beats Maryland, the ‘Pack will play in their first ever conference championship game. If not, the Seminoles will face the Hokies on Dec. 4 in Charlotte.

Granted, there’s still a week left, but you’ve got to hand it to the Tar Heels. Despite all the turmoil, not to mention severe attrition of key players, they’ve been competitive every week. Of their five losses, three have come by six points or less. It’s a bit of a backhanded compliment, but Butch Davis was pretty darn good at keeping his team afloat despite the chaos surrounding his team.

The ACC Player of the Year appeared to be locked up a few weeks ago; and it would belong to Tyrod Taylor. Over the past three weeks, Taylor has cooled off significantly. In that span, he’s completed 35-of-67 passes (52%) with four touchdowns. He’s also only rushed for 62 yards in that time. He’s still the front-runner because of the plays he makes that don’t show up in the stat book.

Headed in the opposite direction, however, is Boston College’s Montel Harris, who continued his streak of 100-yard rushing games in the Eagles’ 17-13 win over Virginia.

Through five games, Harris averaged just 77 yards per game. Since then, he’s gained 142.6 yards per game and scored seven touchdowns. He’s the reason Boston College has won four straight games and is bowl eligible for the 13^th straight season. Linebacker Luke Kuechly may bring home more hardware this winter, but if it weren’t for Harris, the Eagles would never have been 6-5 today.

Jamarr Robinson’s speed is something new at Maryland

Quarterbacks

Projected depth chart

QB – #11 Jamarr Robinson, Jr., #18 Danny O’Brien, Fr., #16 C.J. Brown, Fr.

Jamarr Robinson gives Maryland something it hasn't had at quarterback in a while: a true running threat.

When three-year starter Chris Turner went down near the end of his senior season in 2009, Robinson stepped up with virtually no real experience at the collegiate level, and all things considered played very well.

Robinson runs a 4.5 40-yard dash, making him arguably the fastest quarterback in the ACC (and it’s not like there’s no competition for that distinction). He’s a run-first quarterback, but he did complete 54 percent of his passes last year. Nevertheless, with the concerns with the offensive line’s ability to protect the passer, Robinson will be making at least as many plays with his feet as he does with his arm.

Some fans would like to see the freshman O’Brien get the nod. All signs point towards Robinson starting the season under center. It sounded like O’Brien didn’t disappoint in spring practice, but didn’t do nearly enough for Ralph Friedgen to feel comfortable handing him the reins to the offense behind such a questionable line. Robinson is the safe play, and nothing is keeping him from an adequate year.

The Scott McBriens and Sam Hollenbachs of the world haven’t come Maryland’s way recently, and it leave Maryland with its first run-first option as its starting quarterback in Friedgen’s term as coach.

Expect to see Robinson in the shotgun on most occasions, giving him a better look at the back level of the defense and to enable the spread option look, which seems to be the most effective scheme the Terrapins could use, given their personnel.

Robinson isn’t in the upper echelon of league signal callers, but he’s a capable guy to plug at the position for a couple year’s while the program searches for it’s next staple guy.

Quarterback issues dominate spring practices

There’s a fine line between holding the reins to the offense and holding a clipboard.

During spring practices across the ACC, the starting quarterback job, backup job, or both were up for grabs.

In reality, only three teams could guarantee before spring practice “(Player X) will be our guy next year.”

Injury concerns, the draw of another sport, or simply lack of production had some coaches worried entering the spring.

Three projected starters missed some or all of spring practice altogether.

Two-sport stars

The most prominent storylines concerning the guys under center revolved around the baseball field. North Carolina State’s Russell Wilson and Clemson’s Kyle Parker both have promising careers on the diamond.

While Wilson maintained his focus entirely on baseball, Parker did double duty.

It’s unknown whether Clemson coach Dabo Swinney spent more time in the office watching film or in Parker’a apartment begging him to not give up football.

Tajh Boyd is simply not close to ready to be the starter. He completed 8 of 25 passes in the spring game, and all the talk out of Clemson this spring was his lack of progress. Parker has NFL-caliber skills that the Tigers desperately need.

In Wilson’s absence at NC State, Mike Glennon got a chance to shine. He wrapped up an extremely productive spring with 423 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Glennon is a more prototypical Tom O’Brien quarterback – he’s drawn comparisons to Matt Ryan, whom O’Brien coached in Ryan’s early years at Boston College – but Wilson is an extremely accurate quarterback who puts up impressive numbers.

Though it’s not Wilson’s fault directly, it’s hard to avoid the fact that he has a losing record as a starter. O’Brien hasn’t been on the hot seat, but with a new athletic director entering the fold soon, you’d have to think the pressure on O’Brien to win more games just got a little higher.

Struggling starters

At Virginia, Marc Verica did little to prove that he can be a steady performer this season. In 2008, Verica completed nearly 64 percent of his passes, but also threw twice as many interceptions (16) as touchdowns (8). In the spring game, which barely lasted an hour in front of a crowd no larger than 3,000, Verica completed only 8 of 23 passes. Several of his incompletions were very poorly thrown balls. There were several miscommunication mistakes between him and the receivers, but it’s impossible to tell who to blame in those situations.

Meanwhile, Verica’s backups, freshmen Ross Metheny and Michael Strauss each threw a touchdown pass and moved the offense better than Verica.

The Cavaliers are already going to be putrid on offense this year, why shouldn’t Mike London start off his regime with a young quarterback and let him grow in the system?

There is a serious quarterback controversy in Chapel Hill. T.J. Yates continued his inconsistent performance of the last two years this spring, while redshirt freshman Bryn Renner did nothing but look like the best quarterback in Tar Heel blue. Renner has much more mobility than Yates and a stronger arm.

Renner also was a part-time baseball player, but his football workouts were so impressive that the coaches convinced him to give up the diamond. If that’s not a sign the coaches are seriously considering supplanting Yates as the starter with Renner, who knows what is.

Yates has a leg up experience-wise, which is crucial because North Carolina’s defense is going to be downright nasty this year. They may not need to take a risk on a young quarterback that has never seen game action before. That being said, Yates has not exactly played like the seasoned veteran he is.

It doesn’t seem to be a matter of who will earn the starting job by the season opener (against LSU in Atlanta), but how long Yates will hold off before giving way to the budding star.

In Maryland, Jamarr Robinson started a few games down the stretch for the Terps, and was in large part a glorified running back. He was a good one, though. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry, but also threw two touchdowns with no interceptions. He entered the spring as the consensus choice to be the starter.

Danny O’Brien made the decision a little harder, though. He showed he is a very intelligent and safe player, something something coach Ralph Friedgen loves,

but he might not have enough physical tools to take over for Robinson just yet. There were a few other competitors for the job including C.J. Brown, but it looks like Robinson has done just enough to earn the job.

Up north, David Shinskie had to convince the Boston College coaching staff that he can make huge strides in his second year as the Eagles’ quarterback. Shinskie was downright awful against the toughest opponents last year, but down the stretch of the season was playing fairly well.

The Raycom Sports BC blog had this to say about Shinskie and his competition in the spring game — After Shinskie, (Mike) Marscovetra came on and put on a show. I had my doubts about the sophomore from Oakland, NJ and his ability to lead this team, but all doubts flew out the window after a few drives he was able to produce. Most of his throws were on target and his pocket presence was near immaculate. Marscovetra could have vaulted himself into a great position to be the starter for the Eagles this fall.

Shinskie is a former minor league baseball player that showed his rust a year ago. Marscovetra is a sophomore who has done nothing but play well in limited action.

He has the look of a three-year starter in the garnet and gold.

Injury concerns

Injuries plagued Florida State, Duke and Miami. Christian Ponder admits he is still not 100 percent following spring practice. However, Ponder was good enough to put the rest the notion that backup E.J. Manuel is a threat to the starting job.

Sean Renfree missed all of spring practice while recovering from a torn ACL for Duke. Meanwhile, the guys behind him on the depth chart looked, well…awful. It was an unproductive spring in Durham while coach David Cutcliffe can only hope for a full recovery from Renfree.

Jacory Harris also missed spring practice with a thumb injury that was surgically repaired after the season. There is nothing unsafe about his job, but it was another example of an ACC quarterback missing practice.