N.C State's first practice

Highly regarded redshirt freshman quarterback Mike Glennon sure stands out on the football field.

Glennon is listed at 6-foot-6, an inch shorter than offensive tackle Jeraill McCuller. But Glennon obviously was the tallest player on the field Thursday as N.C. State started practice.

It seems likely that Glennon will redshirt. His footwork isn’t as polished as that of his teammates yet, and it’s difficult to imagine him learning the offense quickly enough to be ready to start in the Aug. 28 opener at South Carolina.

Nonetheless, he seems to have a strong arm, and he certainly won’t have trouble seeing over his linemen when he is in the pocket.
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- N.C. State didn’t perform any live contact drills during the one hour of practice reporters were allowed to watch Thursday, so it’s difficult to draw many conclusions about the players or the team.

But judging by pure physique, wide receiver Geron James is impressive. He is listed at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds after earning his way back on the team. James, a junior, was not enrolled in school last fall but returned in the spring with a renewed desire to be part of the team.

More than some of the other receivers, James appears capable of catching a pass and steamrolling over a clinging cornerback to break into the open field.
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- No-nonsense coach Tom O’Brien’s practices always run at a crisp pace.

Junior college transfer LeRoy Burgess learned that the hard way when a couple assistant coaches started yelling at him for loafing at the end of a drill. Burgess was penitent and hustled back into position, saying “yes sir,” as he ran.

It’s unclear if he learned that phrase at Georgia Military College, but it will serve him well under ex-Marine O’Brien.
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- Incumbent starting quarterback Daniel Evans watched a televised interview with Tampa Bay quarterback Jeff Garcia on Thursday discussing the possibility that Brett Favre might be headed to the Buccaneers.

Evans, who is a five-way competition for N.C. State’s starting job, watched Garcia say he would hold onto the Tampa Bay job until somebody wrestled it away from him.

“I’m going to try to approach it the same way,” Evans said.

- Ken Tysiac