When the news broke that NC State had hired Robert Anae as offensive coordinator, all eyes turned to whether his former pupil Brennan Armstrong would join him to play quarterback.
Armstrong officially visited NC State on Wednesday and Thursday, and committed Saturday. Auburn and Oklahoma State had shown interest.
Anae and Armstrong’s relationship goes back to 2017. The Shelby (Ohio) High product, who Rivals.com had as a three-star prospect, had verbally committed to Minnesota on Feb. 19, 2017. He switched to Virginia on Nov. 20, 2017, where Anae was the offensive coordinator, picking the Cavaliers over North Carolina.
Armstrong got his shot at Virginia in 2020 during the COVID year. He went 157-of-268 passing for 2,117 yards, 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, plus rushed 126 times for 552 yards and five scores for the 5-5 Cavaliers.
Armstrong’s lone start against NC State was probably his worst of his college career. He went 6-of-9 passing for 57 yards, but had two interceptions and rushed six times for minus-six yards in a 38-21 loss Oct. 10, 2020. He exited the game after Wolfpack safety Tanner Ingle was ejected for targeting with a little over five minutes left in the second quarter.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder shocked the ACC a year ago with a monster season to help Virginia go 6-6, including a win over Miami (Fla.). Armstrong went 326-of-500 passing for 4,449 yards, 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and he rushed 98 times for 251 yards and nine scores.
Armstrong threw for over 400 yards six times in 2021, including an astonishing 554 yards and four touchdowns in a 59-39 loss at North Carolina on Sept. 18. He also threw for 396 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for 99 yards and two scores against Georgia Tech on Oct. 23.
The huge 2021 season led to Armstrong being in the mix for preseason All-ACC at quarterback, which ended up going to former NC State quarterback Devin Leary. However, head coach Bronco Mendenhall had retired and Anae and quarterback coach Jason Beck took new jobs at Syracuse. New coach Tony Elliott and offensive coordinator Des Kitchings, who coached at NC State from 2012-19, changed the offense and much of the Cavaliers offensive personnel changed.
Armstrong went 185-of-338 passing for 2,210 yards, seven touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also rushed 123 times for 371 yards and six scores. He passed for over 300 yards just once, which came against Louisville on Oct. 8.
He entered the transfer portal after the season, and speculation first turned toward Syracuse with Anae and Beck. After Leary entered the portal and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tim Beck got hired as head coach at Coastal Carolina, the door opened for Anae to get hired. That in turn led to Armstrong.
The hope is that Armstrong will return to his 2021 form, and the Wolfpack also return rising sophomore quarterback MJ Morris and rising redshirt sophomore quarterback Ben Finley, who both showed flashes in replacing an injured Leary.
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