The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/73006
2012 FOOTBALL PREVIEW sophomore Tyler Brosius and true fresh- man Manny Stocker were both coveted by NC State out of high school. Sophomore walk-on Garrett Leatham rounds out the crew, but the scout team will get a boost from Colorado State transfer Pete Thomas, who will be sitting out the season and then have two years of eligibil- ity remaining. Bible makes sure the backup quarter- backs are ready if needed. "As always, we don't prepare with just one guy," Bible said. "It's the way we do it at all the positions. We feel good about Tyler and where he's gotten himself to at this point." The 6-3, 230-pound Brosius is a pure pocket passer, who went 15-of-27 passing for 184 yards during the Kay Yow Spring Game April 21. "I think with Tyler, he's at the point in his career that he now has had a reasonable command of the offense and of the posi- tion," Bible said. Now he's in position to be productive at the quarterback position. "People saw that some in the spring yard touchdown with 16 seconds remaining, but he prefers to be known as a pocket passer. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN Stocker put his dual-threat abilities on display in the Kay Yow Spring Game, rushing for a 15- In the class of 2007, before Tom O'Brien left Boston College and arrived at NC State, BC and NCSU battled for the last official trip from defensive end Derrick Morgan from Coatesville (Pa.) Area High. Boston College got the visit, but it did not matter. Morgan committed to Georgia Tech where he turned into GETTING TO KNOW: Manny Stocker one of the best defensive players in the ACC and was selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. Watching from afar was a future quarterback for Coatesville, Manny Stocker. Not long after Stocker verbally committed to NC State during the summer of 2011, he reached out to Morgan about the benefits of potentially enrolling early. "He did it and said it was a good experience," Stocker said. "I just figured the sooner I get down [to NC State], the more experience I can get under Mike Glennon, the more time I have to learn under him, the better. I figured coming down … early, I could get a lot of information." So starting last August, Stocker set out on a course to graduate early, and when he enrolled at NC State in Janu- ary it was mission accomplished. The athletic Stocker was able to participate in spring drills and play in the Kay Yow Spring Game April 21, and he even was able to get back to Coatesville for his senior prom. During the spring scrimmage, Stocker showed how dangerous he can be on his legs when he scrambled for a 15-yard touchdown on a read option play out of the shotgun, making a nifty move on redshirt freshman cornerback Juston Burris to avoid a potential tackle. Stocker, though, would prefer to develop a reputation with his arm first. "I think I can throw the ball, I really can," Stocker noted. "I like throwing the ball. I can run, but I can also get out of the pocket and throw. "But that's the kind of quarterback I am — pocket." Stocker's high school coach, Matt Ortega, is convinced this his former pupil can succeed in whatever situation NC State places him. According to Ortega, Stocker was already ahead of the game for quarterbacks even before enrolling early. "He has the arm strength to go into a pro-style offense with play action," Ortega said. "He can make those throws on the deep outs, posts and verticals, but at the same time, he can go into the gun and read the defense while taking advantage of his speed. "A lot of times when a coach gets a kid like Manny, right away he puts him in the gun and does the zone read stuff. Then, all of the sudden, that is the type of quarterback that he is. Manny was trained as a pro-style quarterback and has the natural athleticism that allows him to get it done from the gun as well. He's very comfortable under center, very comfortable from the gun. "That's why I think he's unique." 40 ■ THE WOLFPACKER game, and that expressed itself in some of the scrimmages we had this spring. We're at the point where some of his best football is right in front of him, and we think he has a bright future. "Tyler's always worked hard at foot- ball and liked playing football and talented playing football. It just takes time to grow and get yourself to be a productive player at the quarterback position. It just doesn't happen like that. He's at that point in time now where he's ready to be a very produc- tive player for us." The 6-3, 200-pound Stocker was a Ri- vals.com three-star prospect coming out of Coatesville, Pa., just outside of Philadelphia. He enrolled in January and was able to get a few plays under his belt in the spring game, including rushing for a 15-yard touchdown with 16 seconds remaining. Stocker's dual- threat abilities make him different from Glennon, Thomas and Brosius. "It's always a challenge for a young- ster to make that transition in the middle of their senior year, but we're really up- beat about Manny's future," Bible said. "We think he has a bright future. We really like the way he carries himself, really like his work ethic, really like the way he has settled in and has earned the respect of his teammates — and we think he's talented." Bible looks forward to working with Stocker during fall camp. "Have we seen the best of him?" Bible — Matt Carter said. "No, because he's still young, but we expect when we come back to camp here in August, that he will take giant steps, and we think his future is bright." ■