The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/337646
JULY 2014 ■ 39 FOOTBALL 2014 BY JACEY ZEMBAL N C State redshirt junior quarterback Jacoby Brissett has never played a game for the Wolfpack, but his leadership skills and personality have won over his new team. During his two-year stay at Florida, Bris- sett started three games and played in 13, and he went 41-of-74 passing for 455 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions. The 6-4, 236-pounder elected to transfer to NC State Jan. 16, 2013, and he has two full spring practices under his belt going into the season opener against Georgia Southern Aug. 30. He capped the most recent spring practice session by completing 24 of 37 passes for 365 yards with two touchdowns and just one interception in the Kay Yow Spring Game April 12. Brissett's arrival in Raleigh reminds one member of the NC State coaching staff of another star quarterback, who is near and dear in the hearts of Wolfpack fans. NCSU defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable was coaching at Wisconsin when former Wolfpack star quarterback Russell Wilson arrived for his last year. Wilson, who attended NC State from 2007-10, went on to become a third-round draft choice of the Seattle Seahawks, and helped lead his new organization to a Super Bowl title this past February in just his second season in the NFL. The playing styles between Wilson and Brissett might be different, but the way they won over their teammates is strikingly simi- lar. "I see them both as quiet and humble," Huxtable said. "Russell Wilson came in July that summer [at Wisconsin]. I remember him getting up and speaking to the team, and he was just humble and appreciative to have the opportunity to be a part of the program. He said he was going to work hard and earn the team's respect, and then he did that. I think Jacoby has done the same thing here." Wilson gave his new teammates T-shirts with a rallying cry. Brissett helped the Wolfpack players come together in his own unique way. "Brissett organized a team barbeque for all the guys on the team [in the late spring]," Huxtable said. "Those are the kind of things you expect your quarterback to do, and earn your teammates' respect, and to get them to follow you. "Both those guys are leaders, and both are really neat kids." NC State head coach Dave Doeren first re- cruited Brissett as a sophomore at West Palm Beach (Fla.) Dwyer High, back when Do- eren was the defensive coordinator at Wis- consin. He said landing Brissett has given the Wolfpack a galvanizing force, both on and off the field. "He's the No. 1 quarterback in our of- fense, and he's going to play like a No. 1, but you can even ask him, he's hard on himself," Doeren said. "He's competitive and he does have a great skill set. But he's got a lot of young guys around him and now we've got to get that chemistry." NC State has a strong quarterback tradi- tion. Brissett is well-versed with recent stars such as Wilson, Mike Glennon and Philip Rivers, but doesn't feel any pressure in com- parison like he did with the Geno Smith talk at West Virginia (the other finalist for his services when he transferred). Brissett comes from a winning back- ground. He won a state title in football dur- ing his junior year and then captured one in basketball during his senior year at Dwyer. Brissett couldn't have scripted a much better last two years of high school. He knows the thrill of having winning chemistry, and wants to recreate it at NC State. "It's hard but it requires work and that is what both of my high school coaches taught me through the years," Brissett said. "That is what I always take with me." Brissett capped a heated football recruit- ment by picking Florida over Miami and Wisconsin. Doeren put the Badgers in posi- tion to land Brissett, but then left his defen- sive coordinator position to become the head coach at Northern Illinois. Landing Brissett was a coup for the Ga- tors. Rivals.com ranked him as the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the country and the No. 75 overall player in the class of 2011. UF had also signed Jeff Driskel of Oviedo (Fla.) Hagerty, Rivals.com's No. 1-ranked pro-style quarterback, but Brissett wasn't afraid of competition. He also like that newly hired Florida offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss was a straight shooter with him. "I was literally going to commit to Wis- consin, and it was a good fit for me," Brissett said. "Toward the end of the process, I didn't want to rush my decision. Florida wasn't my dream school, and my mom was a big Miami fan. There were just a handful of schools that offered me for me. A lot were trying to get other players on the team. "I still think about that to this day. I guess God wanted me to go there. I learned a lot from being there." Brissett quickly realized his freshman year at Florida that he wasn't at Dwyer High anymore. He made his collegiate debut in the sixth game of the season, a 41-11 loss at LSU Oct. 8, 2011. Brissett went 8-of-14 passing for 94 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. "I threw the ball over the middle late, and to see how they swarmed to the ball to get the interception, and I just went over to the sideline," Brissett said. "Coach Weiss said to me, 'This isn't high school anymore. You can't do that anymore.' I was like, 'I'm never doing that ever again.' I never did it again." Brissett ended up playing in five games while Florida went 7-6 in 2011. He joked that Weiss was the first coach to ever curse at him, but he was glad he did. However, Weiss got hired as the head coach at Kansas following that season. Brissett's dream of also playing basketball at Florida died a slow death his freshman year. Quarterback John Brantley exhausted his eligibility, so Brissett and Driskel under- went a spirited quarterback battle during the spring and fall camp. Brissett ended up being more of a pocket passer and Driskel a dual threat, which was the opposite of their prep labels. Driskel was named the starting quarter- back by head coach Will Muschamp, and started all but one game for the 11-2 Gators in 2012. Brissett knew by the halfway point of the season that he was going to need to find a new home, but ironically was needed a week after coming to that conclusion. Brissett filled in for an injured Driskel to help guide UF to a 23-0 win over Jackson- ville State Nov. 17, 2012. He connected on 14 of 22 throws for 154 yards, in what turned Follow The Leader Quarterback Jacoby Brissett Is Expected To Spark The Offense Brissett connected on 24 of 37 throws for 365 yards, with two touchdowns and one intercep- tion, in the Kay Yow Spring Game April 12. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN 38-40.Jacoby Brissett.indd 39 6/27/14 12:23 PM