Ted Stachitas is the new starting quarterback at Wake Forest -- he won the job by being the most consistent this summer.
But don't be surprised to see true freshman Tanner Price at some point this season -- possibly as early as the season opener Thursday evening against Presbyterian.
"You might see Tanner," coach Jim Grobe said at his weekly press conference. "We won't be afraid to play him, but we will have to have a need to play him. If Ted plays really well, we might be a little more hesitant to play Tanner and instead look at Skylar Jones or Brendan Cross. He's right there and is very competitive to play. Ted might be No. 1, but Tanner is a close second."
Grobe has a reputation for redshirting the majority of his players, but Price has been as good as advertised this summer. The last time Grobe used a freshman quarterback -- albeit a redshirt freshman -- Riley Skinner led the Deacs to the 2006 ACC championship.
Still, Price is listed as No. 2 on this week's depth chart, and it's Stachitas' job to lose. He was 14-of-22 for 302 yards in three preseason scrimmages, but as he said, "I haven't played a football game in about three years."
He's not alone. Nobody on Wake's roster has thrown a collegiate pass yet.
The good news for the Deacs is that they open with an unheralded opponent that should provide an opportunity to work the kinks out. Entering its fourth season at the FCS level, Presbyterian went 0-11 overall and 0-6 in the Big South Conference last season.
Wake Forest doesn't have much additional time for a learning curve, as the Deacs face Duke in Week 2 in a game that will help determine their bowl possibilities.
"It's certainly better that we start with a nonconference opponent -- there is no question," Grobe said. "You really don't want to start with a conference team. This is a good game for us to start with since we have an inexperienced quarterback. I'd be really concerned if we were starting with an ACC opponent right out of the blocks. We have a good football team coming to town the very next week from the ACC, so it will be good to get a game under our belt against a nonconference team."
But don't be surprised to see true freshman Tanner Price at some point this season -- possibly as early as the season opener Thursday evening against Presbyterian.
"You might see Tanner," coach Jim Grobe said at his weekly press conference. "We won't be afraid to play him, but we will have to have a need to play him. If Ted plays really well, we might be a little more hesitant to play Tanner and instead look at Skylar Jones or Brendan Cross. He's right there and is very competitive to play. Ted might be No. 1, but Tanner is a close second."
Grobe has a reputation for redshirting the majority of his players, but Price has been as good as advertised this summer. The last time Grobe used a freshman quarterback -- albeit a redshirt freshman -- Riley Skinner led the Deacs to the 2006 ACC championship.
Still, Price is listed as No. 2 on this week's depth chart, and it's Stachitas' job to lose. He was 14-of-22 for 302 yards in three preseason scrimmages, but as he said, "I haven't played a football game in about three years."
He's not alone. Nobody on Wake's roster has thrown a collegiate pass yet.
The good news for the Deacs is that they open with an unheralded opponent that should provide an opportunity to work the kinks out. Entering its fourth season at the FCS level, Presbyterian went 0-11 overall and 0-6 in the Big South Conference last season.
Wake Forest doesn't have much additional time for a learning curve, as the Deacs face Duke in Week 2 in a game that will help determine their bowl possibilities.
"It's certainly better that we start with a nonconference opponent -- there is no question," Grobe said. "You really don't want to start with a conference team. This is a good game for us to start with since we have an inexperienced quarterback. I'd be really concerned if we were starting with an ACC opponent right out of the blocks. We have a good football team coming to town the very next week from the ACC, so it will be good to get a game under our belt against a nonconference team."
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Heather Dinich
Dinich covered ACC and Big Ten football for five seasons before joining ESPN.com in November 2007. She's an Indiana grad but somehow her favorite day of the week is Saturday.
ACC SCOREBOARD
Saturday, 12/17
Final Temple 37 Wyoming 15 Final Ohio 24 Utah State 23 Final San Diego State 30 Louisiana-Lafayette 32
Tuesday, 12/20
Wednesday, 12/21
Final 18 TCU 31 Louisiana Tech 24
Thursday, 12/22
Saturday, 12/24
Final Nevada 17 21 Southern Miss 24
Monday, 12/26
Tuesday, 12/27
Final Western Michigan 32 Purdue 37 Final Louisville 24 North Carolina State 31
Wednesday, 12/28
Final Toledo 42 Air Force 41 Final California 10 24 Texas 21
Thursday, 12/29
Final Florida State 18 Notre Dame 14 Final Washington 56 12 Baylor 67
Friday, 12/30
Final Brigham Young 24 Tulsa 21 Final Rutgers 27 Iowa State 13 Final Mississippi State 23 Wake Forest 17 Final Iowa 14 14 Oklahoma 31
Saturday, 12/31
Final Texas A&M 33 Northwestern 22 Final/OT Georgia Tech 27 Utah 30 Final Illinois 20 UCLA 14 Final Cincinnati 31 Vanderbilt 24 Final Virginia 24 25 Auburn 43
Monday, 1/2
Final 19 Houston 30 22 Penn State 14 Final Ohio State 17 Florida 24 Final/3OT 17 Michigan State 33 16 Georgia 30 Final 20 Nebraska 13 9 South Carolina 30 Final 10 Wisconsin 38 5 Oregon 45 Final/OT 4 Stanford 38 3 Oklahoma State 41
Tuesday, 1/3
Final/OT 13 Michigan 23 11 Virginia Tech 20
Wednesday, 1/4
Final 23 West Virginia 70 15 Clemson 33
Friday, 1/6
Final 8 Kansas State 16 6 Arkansas 29
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