North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: Wilson Expected To Be Cleared for Action
3/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. By this time next week, sophomore quarterback Russell Wilson should be cleared to start spring football practice, according to football coach Tom O'Brien. And that should be good news for Elliott Avent’s baseball team.
Wilson, a two-sport standout for the Wolfpack, has missed the first six weeks of baseball because of a knee injury he suffered near the end of the first half of the Papajohns.com Bowl on Dec. 29. Doctors are expected to clear him for participation next Monday, O’Brien said at his pre-spring practice press conference at the Murphy Center Monday afternoon.
Wilson is one of a handful of players who will be healthy and ready to go for spring practice, which begins on Friday and will culminate with the annual spring game at 1 p.m. on April 18 at Carter-Finley Stadium.
“We sat down and worked out a schedule where he won’t miss any time with the baseball team, but he will still be able to make most of our practices in the spring,” O’Brien said. “If he can go help the baseball team, then he can go do that."
Wilson, originally recruited as an infielder, could see action in the outfield when he returns to the baseball lineup.
But he will also be expected to participate as much as possible with football, to hone the skills that helped him become the first freshman to earn first-team all-conference honors in ACC history last fall.
O’Brien can relate: He’ll be pretty busy as well on the first day of spring practice. He still plans to serve as the grand marshal of the Raleigh St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which was postponed from last weekend because of bad weather. The parade begins at noon, while practice starts at 1 p.m. at the Dail Practice Fields adjacent to Carter-Finley Stadium.
While Wilson wowed fans and impressed viewers with his ability to scramble out of trouble last fall, the young quarterback also suffered three significant injuries: a concussion in the season-opener against South Carolina, an injury against East Carolina and the knee injury in the bowl game against Rutgers.
O’Brien’s goal is to teach him how to avoid the situations that might cause future injuries.
“There are a lot of things, decision-making-wise, that he has to get better at, that will keep him from some of these injury situations that he has gotten himself into. A couple of the times he has gotten hurt, if he makes a better decision, he doesn’t put himself in a position to get hit. Those all things we can work on and we can monitor throughout practice.”
O’Brien is also excited about seeing what highly touted redshirt freshman Mike Glennon can offer the Wolfpack offense. Glennon opted to redshirt last season, after Wilson won a five-player battle for the starting quarterback position.
“I hope he competes for the job and tries to take it away from Russell,” O’Brien said. “That’s the best situation for us. He has that tag of having a lot of potential, which means he hasn’t done anything yet. [But] he’ll certainly have his opportunities.”
Also returning to the lineup for the Pack which lost four starters on offense and four starters on defense from last year’s 6-7 squad is senior running back Toney Baker, who has missed most of the last two seasons with a knee injury. He was cleared to return to full workouts in mid-November, O’Brien said, and should be near 100 percent in the spring.
Among those who won’t participate in spring drills because of injuries are senior running back Jamelle Eugene, safety Javon Walker, tight end Matt Kushner, offensive lineman Desmond Roberts and wide receivers Donald Bowens, Darrell Davis and T.J. Graham.
The 15 spring practices will be the chance for several younger players to show their value and perhaps win a starting job heading into the fall.
“Our goal, as it is every spring, is for individuals to improve,” O’Brien said. “The biggest thing is to try to get people in position to help us win football games. As individuals improve, your team will improve.
“The upperclass have the first shots at positions, because they have played. But nothing is set in stone. There will be position changes throughout the spring, I am sure. Hopefully, by the 15th practice, we will be a much better team than the first practice.”
O’Brien also announced Monday that the annual spring football game will be dedicated to the memory of late NC State women’s basketball coach Kay Yow, who died of cancer on Jan. 24. Adult fans attending the game will be asked to contribute a minimum of $1 for a collection that will be given to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
