Dave Doeren's ongoing quest to add another quarterback to the roster--one that could play in 2013--continues. NC State pursued Oklahoma graduate transfer Drew Allen earlier in the spring, but Allen ended up picking Syracuse. Now NC State is in the running for two other transfers: Steven Bench from Penn State and Brandon Mitchell from Arkansas.
Both players are listed as "dual threat" quarterbacks in their recruiting profiles and would give Doeren the wheels he'd like to have under center. Bench runs a 4.68 40-yard dash per 247 Sports, and although he has only spent one year in college, he can play immediately wherever he goes because of the sanctions against Penn State.
Mitchell, who will graduate this spring, spent his Arkansas career stuck behind Ryan Mallett and Tyler Wilson and appeared to be the loser of the quarterback competition in spring ball. Last year he had 17 receptions for 272 yards, which suggests he has pretty good speed. He isn't transferring to spend his last year in college as a receiver, though.
As is typically the case in these situations, both guys are relative unknowns. Mitchell did play in 21 games with Arkansas but threw a grand total of 43 passes. Bench, as I mentioned, was a freshman last year. So whether one of them could come in and start is anybody's guess. The fact that Bench has several years of eligibility remaining as opposed to one year might make him the preferable option, but I dunno, man. They can run, though. We know this much.