ShareThisYou can't keep your quarterback forever.
It just seemed that last year's class of veteran Atlantic Coast Conference quarterbacks, notably Tyrod Taylor at Virginia Tech and T.J. Yates at North Carolina (with 86 starts between them), had been around that long.
Five conference teams head into the 2011 season without a quarterback who has made a career start. The other seven teams have some experience at quarterback but not as much as last year's group did.
Nine of the ACC's 12 opening-day quarterbacks had made at least 10 career starts before the 2010 season, five had at least 20 under their belts.
Going into the 2011 season, only two quarterbacks -- Duke's Sean Renfree (11) and Maryland's Danny O'Brien (10) -- have hit double digits in starts.
If there's anything a football coach wants more than a good quarterback, it's a good, experienced quarterback.
"There is no teacher like 11-on-11 football," said Duke coach David Cutcliffe, a noted quarterback specialist.
Florida State's Christian Ponder (first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings) joined Yates (fifth round, Houston) and Taylor (sixth round, Baltimore) in the NFL draft, which was the first time three ACC quarterbacks were chosen in the same draft since 1992.
The ACC's quarterback fraternity also loses N.C. State's Russell Wilson and Georgia Tech's Josh Nesbitt, the All-ACC quarterback in 2009.
"It's a league that lost some great players," said Cutcliffe, who coached Peyton and Eli Manning in college. "The buck starts with Russell Wilson. You're losing maybe the best player in the league, in my opinion."
Wilson, a three-year starter at State, transferred to Wisconsin for his final college season. Wilson led the ACC in passing yards (3,563) and touchdowns (28) last season.
Wolfpack coach Tom O'Brien said Wilson's replacement, junior Mike Glennon, will be fine. O'Brien said his biggest concern on offense is a new group of receivers, not Wilson's absence.
"(Glennon) has been patiently waiting his turn," O'Brien said. "He's ready to go."
North Carolina also finds itself starting over. As a senior, Yates became the school's first 3,000-yard passer and led the Tar Heels through a double-barreled NCAA investigation to eight wins.
North Carolina coach Butch Davis lauded sophomore Bryn Renner as a "tremendous talent" and said Renner learned a lot from Yates, but he lacks experience.
In Renfree, Cutcliffe and the Blue Devils have the only returning quarterback in the ACC who threw for 3,000 yards last season, but he also threw 17 interceptions (to 14 touchdowns) as Duke finished 3-9.
Cutcliffe said Renfree had a tendency to try to do too much as sophomore. Another year clear of a serious knee injury Renfree suffered at the end of the 2009 season, Cutcliffe expects more confidence and growth from his junior starter.
"He has a chance to be great, not good but great," Cutcliffe said.
So does O'Brien, Maryland's sophomore signal-caller. O'Brien put up gigantic numbers (2,438 yards and 22 touchdowns in 10 starts) for former coach Ralph Friedgen, but loses top receiver Torrey Smith and transitions to a new system with first-year coach Randy Edsall, who was more of a run-first coach at Connecticut.
Like Maryland, Boston College and Wake Forest found their quarterbacks after the 2010 season started, but seem to be on good footing with sophomores Chase Rettig (1,238 yards, nine starts) and Tanner Price (1,349 yards, nine starts), respectively.
Georgia Tech and Miami both lost their starters to injury with four games left in the 2010 season. Junior Tevin Washington went 1-3 for the Yellow Jackets after Josh Nesbitt broke his arm, which has opened the door for freshman Synjyn Days.
Sophomore Stephen Morris showed promise last November for Miami after filling in for turnover-prone Jacory Harris. New Miami coach Al Golden, who ran a conservative offense at Temple, hasn't named a starter but will choose between Morris and Harris, who is a senior.
E.J. Manuel already has experience in replacing Ponder at Florida State. He has six career starts in subbing for the oft-injured Ponder, including leading the Seminoles to a Chick-fil-A Bowl upset of South Carolina.
Like State and UNC, Clemson, Virginia Tech and Virginia are starting over.
If Clemson sophomore Tajh Boyd picks up first-year coordinator Chad Morris' spread system (which posted pinball numbers at Tulsa), he could have the best statistics.
Sophomore Logan Thomas, who began his career as a tight end, has to replace Taylor at Virginia Tech but might have the best group of receivers in the league to help his transition.
Virginia is the biggest question mark. Gone is the serviceable Marc Verica (2,799 yards, 14 TDs, 14 interceptions). Sophomore Michael Rocco has the inside track for the job, but will have to out-play Ross Metheny, David Watford and Michael Strauss when practice starts in August.
(Contact J.P. Giglio at jp.giglio(at)newsobserver.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit The News and Observer of Raleigh, N.C.
