The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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to graduate last winter from Coatesville (Pa.) Area High School and enroll for the spring semester at NC State. That move has prepared Stocker in more M ways than he probably could have imag- ined a year ago around this time when he BY MATT CARTER anny Stocker is big on prepa- ration. That was the primary motivation for the true fresh- man quarterback's decision I was as comfortable with throwing, I didn't know where the receivers were go- ing to be or the combinations of routes," Stocker recalled. "When we started camp, I felt a lot more comfortable throwing the ball." If the coaches are nervous about hav- True Freshman Manny Stocker Is The New Backup Quarterback READY TO GO ing a rookie behind Glennon on the depth chart, they are not outwardly showing it. Head coach Tom O'Brien went as far as to say he believes, "We're going to end chose to pursue an early graduation. Stocker entered the spring as the fourth-string quarterback. Brian Taylor, a redshirt freshman, decided to drop foot- ball after spring practices were over. That elevated Stocker to third string. Then redshirt sophomore Tyler Brosius left the team at the end of the summer to pursue a potential baseball career at Wal- ters State, a community college in Morris- town, Tenn., after running into academic troubles at NC State. That leaves Stocker one play away from being the Wolfpack's quarterback. "Things happened the way they did, and I'm sure everything happens for a reason," Stocker stated. His original rationale for enrolling at State was as much academic-related as anything. He wanted to get a jumpstart on his classes. "I didn't want to start classes soon as football practice [started]," Stocker noted. "This is a crucial time for football, and I wanted to be very comfortable with the college situation before I got into it for a complete football season." It turned out that the biggest value Stocker, and NC State, got from the early enrollment was valuable practices and the opportunity to go through the Wolf- pack's retooled conditioning workouts under first-year strength coach Corey Edmond. The result was Stocker transforming his body, bulking up 20 pounds to 210 on his listed 6-3 frame, and increasing his comfort level. "When I first came in, I don't think Stocker led Coatesville (Pa.) Area High School to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs during his senior campaign, connecting on 116 of 198 throws for 1,942 yards with 20 touchdowns. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN up better at that position than we were last year." In O'Brien's eyes, Stocker is practi- cally a redshirt freshman. Offensive co- ordinator and quarterbacks coach Dana Bible acknowledged Stocker's early en- rollment, in hindsight, was a blessing in disguise. "You never know in football," Bible pointed out. "When it worked out that he was able to graduate early, because he was so sharp, and be with us, we were aggressive about it. "We never assumed, with Coach O'Brien you never make assumptions like that. Everybody is up and ready to go. He doesn't declare anybody redshirted or whatever. Everybody is on deck and ready to go from the start." "I knew what I was getting myself into when I came, so I was very prepared for the situation." ■ Stocker Stocker's intelligence was one of the reasons State pursued him out of high school. Stocker chose the Pack over Cin- cinnati and Temple. At the time, every- one knew that NCSU was getting a good athlete for a quarterback. Stocker ran the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds at NC State's summer camp. State, though, was also intrigued by his intangibles. "We were impressed with just a really sharp young man, just had a good way about him, and when you watch him play on high school on the field he had a real presence about him, took the game over," Bible stated. Stocker would like to prove he is more maker. He threw 31 touchdowns last fall for the Wolfpack, tied for the second most in a single season in school history. Glennon has proven to be an ideal men- tor for Stocker. All the freshman has to do is simply pay attention, according to Bible. "I think that's true of any position," Bible noted. "One of the coaching points is, 'Just do it like he did.' You can talk until you are blue in the face, but a lot of learning in this game is to see it and then to replicate it. That's really what goes on a lot. "There are forms of learning and teach- ing, and for a lot of players that's abso- lutely the way that they can put the pieces together. They see it, assess and go, 'I can do that.'" In a short time, Stocker has undergone a bit of a transformation. When he arrived at State, he admitted that getting up for morning workouts was a challenge. Now he enjoys "getting my day started." He feels that he has been able to maintain his athleticism while getting stronger. He has also gone from the star high school quarterback to being groomed to take over for a major college program on the BCS level on a moment's notice. For some, that might be overwhelming but not for Stocker. He claims he was never nervous about leaving high school early. "I knew what I was getting myself into when I came, so I was very prepared for the situation," he said. Through preparation, he does not feel pressure or uneasiness about the respon- sibilities on his shoulders now. "I feel like I know the offense now, I feel comfortable," Stocker said. "Mike has helped me go through all my progres- sions and guided me through the way. I think it's a perfect situation." ■ SEPTEMBER 2012 ■ 33 than an athlete playing quarterback. He completed 116 of 198 passes for 1,942 yards with 20 touchdowns as a senior, leading Coatesville to a 9-3 record and the quarterfinals of the Class AAAA state playoffs. "I'm just like any other quarterback, looking for that big touchdown throw or looking to make plays," Stocker said. Fifth-year senior and starting quarter- back Mike Glennon is a proven play-