The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/672211
MAY 2016 ■ 35 strength is undeniable. However, Drinkwitz has noted one difference between McClen- don and Newton. "I am not sure he's as fast as [Newton]," he joked. Drinkwitz does appreciate the improve- ment McClendon has made as a passer, similar to Newton's maturation as an NFL quarterback. "Jalan's got a great arm," the coach ac- knowledged. "He spends a lot of extra time preparing, learning, studying the offense. He's a big, strong man. "He's done a better job with his feel in the pocket, staying in the pocket, delivering his throws. He still has a lot of work to do." McClendon does not hide his desire to be next in line at what he called "Quarterback University." He has been behind Jacoby Brissett for two years, watching his team- mate's development into a potential NFL signal-caller. At the end of spring practices, McClen- don and the other Pack quarterbacks got to take some pointers from Pack legend and longtime San Diego Chargers starting quar- terback Philip Rivers. "The coaches trust me, and that is all that I really need," McClendon said. "I believe in myself more than anybody else does. I believe the team believes that I can be the quarterback." Meyers, however, will make McClendon earn it. He has shown the coaches that he is, as Doeren noted, "Super athletic." "Which we knew, but he kind of creates plays," the head coach said. In Meyers' self-evaluation, he needs to make sure he exercises patience in the pocket before using his breathtaking scram- bling abilities. "I need to slow the game down because I'm moving way too fast for no reason," Meyers said. "I know everything, but I need to slow down and show what coach taught me." The spring game showcased a clear con- trast: McClendon has a quick release, rifle arm and strong pocket presence. Doeren also noted that while McClendon may not juke out defenders, he can run straight ahead "pretty well." Meyers has the quick feet and fast speed to make plays with his legs, extending drives and potentially busting out a big play at any moment. He also has a live, strong arm himself. Doeren is able to sum it up in simpler terms. "They can both throw the ball," Doeren said. "Jalan is probably a little bit more comfortable in the pocket right now. Jakobi is a real threat as a runner. We'll take our time and see how the summer goes." Replacing Brissett will not be easy for the Wolfpack, both on and off the field. In addition to carrying the offense, he was an undisputed leader in the locker room. "Any time you lose a guy like that, you lose something," Doeren said. However, after spring it appears that Do- eren and Drinkwitz have nice options to tackle that challenge of filling the Brissett void. "I thought both of them made strides," Doeren said. "The thing I am most inter- ested in now is that they know the system, how fast can they advance? It's hard to re- ally judge a competition when guys are learning an offense for the first half of [the spring]. You really have to see them play without thinking as much. "In the spring game, I thought both of them did some good things. … Sometime during fall camp, we'll have a good feel for what we are going to do." ■ Redshirt freshman quarterback Jakobi Meyers was 12-of-20 passing for 117 yards with one touchdown, and ran 10 times for 40 yards and one score in the spring game. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN "We are not going to announce anything until we feel like it's a done deal. We aren't there yet." ■ NC State head coach Dave Doeren