Trio of sophomores ready to step up for Duke

Carl Franks has had his share of bad luck in his first three years coaching the football team.

But the June announcement that senior starting quarterback D. Bryant will not be academically eligible to play football next year will loom large--whether it will be yet another setback or a turning point for the Franks era has yet to be decided.

For the time being, the team hopes that the surprise turn of events will allow for a new leader to emerge from three sophomore quarterbacks and fresh energy to surface.

"D. was a quarterback on the team that lost 23 straight games, so maybe we need a new leader," Franks said. "I don't think it's going to be a major setback. We're moving on. I think our team is excited about who's going to be quarterback next year."

Moving on with Franks will be his three possible starting quarterbacks--California standout Adam Smith, New Jersey native Chris Wispelwey and Rutgers transfer Chris Dapolito, or any combination of the three. Franks hopes one may be able to claim starting honors next season, a year earlier than any had planned.

Franks said he will take his time in deciding who will start for the team.

"I'm going to make [the decision] when I think it's the right time," he said. "You can't set a date. I'm going to wait to see how the competition goes. When I feel there's someone who's definitely the starter, I'll make that announcement."

Franks did not rule out alternating two of the quarterbacks as co-starters during the year, a strategy used most recently by North Carolina and Wake Forest in the ACC. Redskins coach Steve Spurrier popularized the tactic during his years at Florida, where Franks once worked.

Dapolito--2002's "most improved quarterback"--transferred to Duke last January from Rutgers citing a Scarlet Knights' coaching change. At 6-3, he's also the smallest, Pry said. Franks added that Dapolito is the most vocal in the trio and is a strong leader.

"He's probably the quickest of the three," Pry noted. "If he lacks anything, it's the amount of time he's been in the offense and he will have to work hard on learning the offense. In terms of physical skills, he has all the tools that D. Bryant had."

Finally, Wispelwey, who redshirted with Smith two years ago, is the only prospective starter who has thrown a touchdown pass for Duke--last season against North Carolina. Wispelwey led the Blue squad last spring.

"He's the biggest of the three quarterbacks, has a strong arm--probably the strongest arm of the three--and likes to throw the ball," Pry said. "Again, [like all three] his negative would be lack of game experience."

Wispelwey's status, however, may be unclear after he was charged in Chapel Hill with a DWI as well as three other misdemeanor counts. Franks said the team would handle the matter internally.

In addition, Franks pointed to an additional incoming freshman backup--Mike Schnieder, a 6-3 Pennsylvania prospect.

Franks highlighted Bryant during then-starting quarterback Spencer Romine's injury, choosing the sophomore over senior Bobby Campbell. Last year, Bryant was on the field to near exclusion. Franks had no regrets, however, about his quarterback strategy over the past two seasons.

"At the time it was the smartest thing for us to do," Franks said. "We needed to get our young guy out there.... We felt we were playing the guy who gave us the greatest chance to win."