The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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42 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Brennan Armstrong's name appears frequently in the record books for the Virginia football program. Career passing yards, total offense, passing touchdowns; season passing yards, completions, passing touch- downs, total offense; single-game pass- ing yards, total offense; consecutive games with a passing touchdown; and career passing games of 200-, 300- and 400-plus yards. All those Cavaliers records are held by Armstrong. Taking advantage of an extra season of eligibility provided by the NCAA due to the pandemic, the Shelby, Ohio, na- tive will return to Charlottesville, Va., in 2023. Just not in a Virginia uniform. Armstrong announced in January that he would be transferring to NC State to play his final collegiate season. The Pack is slated to visit Virginia on Friday, Sept. 22. At NC State, he will reunite with the offensive coordinator who led him to his best success during his tenure with the Cavaliers. With Robert Anae call- ing plays, Armstrong completed 326 of 500 passes (65.2 percent) during the 2021 season, finishing with 4,449 yards and 31 touchdowns while throwing only 10 interceptions. He did all that despite missing a game, and he also rushed for 251 yards and 9 more scores. Anae was hired by NC State in De- cember to replace Tim Beck as offensive coordinator. Anae left Virginia for Syracuse after Cavaliers head coach Bronco Menden- hall resigned following that 2021 cam- paign. Under new head coach Tony El- liott, Armstrong's numbers dipped last fall. He completed 185 of 338 passes (54.7 percent) for 2,210 yards and 7 touch- downs with 12 picks, and he rushed for 371 yards and 6 scores. ACC Network analyst Eric Mac Lain said he believes NC State fans can ex- pect Armstrong to look more like he did in 2021 than like the player who saw his productivity decline a year ago. "What's interesting about it is that there was a system change that was schematic. It was very different from what they did, but also, he just didn't have any help like he did the year before," Mac Lain noted. "It was the same guys, and that's what makes it even more con- fusing. The [receivers'] drop percentage that Virginia had this year, I think, was the worst in the country. "It killed drives. It killed momen- tum with those guys stalling things out. You're talking about wide-open touch- downs just right through the hands, hit- ting the guys in the face. It was a very strange thing to see what went on there offensively. "I just have to think that's going to be an anomaly. I have to think that he's go- ing to get back right. He's going to be back in a system that obviously he's very comfortable with and just thrived in." Armstrong's career passing success made him a coveted signal-caller when he entered the transfer portal. On3's rankings had him listed as the third- rated quarterback available. In addition to the Pack, Armstrong was also courted by Auburn, Oklahoma State and Wis- consin, among other programs. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Armstrong has one season of eligibility for the Wolf- pack. He is likely to engage in a quar- terback competition at NC State with rising redshirt freshman MJ Morris and rising fourth-year redshirt sophomore Ben Finley for the starting job, but Mac Lain noted that Armstrong's preexisting understanding of Anae's tendencies and terminology will be a big advantage. "MJ and Ben are going to have to put in a lot of hours by themselves and together outside of just normal practice and film to understand this," Mac Lain said. — Matt Carter Transfer Portal Yields A Proven Passer In Brennan Armstrong Armstrong will reunite at NC State with offensive coordinator Robert Anae, his former position coach at Virginia. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/UVA ATHLETICS S I G N E E S P O T L I G H T