RALEIGH — The question came quick, just a few seconds after N.C. State football coach Tom O'Brien sat down to address reporters on the first floor of the Wendell H. Murphy Center on Saturday morning.

"Who's your starting quarterback?" a reporter asked in a joking, yet serious, tone.

O'Brien, known for keeping his proverbial cards held inches from his chest, did not give a definitive answer, but it wasn't totally because he felt like being secretive.

O'Brien said the competition between fifth-year senior Daniel Evans, redshirt freshman Russell Wilson and true freshman Mike Glennon hasn't been decided because none of the quarterbacks has done enough to earn the job of yet. The Wolfpack will hold its final intrasquad scrimmage in the coming days, and O'Brien said he hopes to name a starter by Wednesday.

"Whenever you do this, you always hope that somebody would stand out and grab the situation and run away from the other person, but that really hasn't happened right now," O'Brien said. "It's always better if you have somebody that takes control of the position, whether it be quarterback, tight end, defensive back, whatever, when you are competing."

Evans, the Wolfpack's starting quarterback for all but four games last season, is coming off shoulder surgery in the offseason. Wilson completed better than 50 percent of his passes during three spring scrimmages.

"I think all the quarterbacks bring something to the table," Wilson said. "I bring some different things. I feel like I know where to throw the ball and can help lead the team."

Glennon, the strong-armed younger brother of Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon, is fresh off his first six hours of summer school.

"I think I know the offense pretty well for a freshman, but I have a lot of work to do," said Glennon, who added that the words in his playbook have expanded from as few as two in high school to now as many as 12 at N.C. State. "I don't think I made so many mistakes in a week in practice this year as I did in two years in high school. Adjusting to everything is definitely a humbling experience."

Whoever earns the starting nod will be heaving footballs to a group of inexperienced receivers. The Wolfpack's leading receiver in 2007, Donald Bowens (41 catches, three touchdowns), will miss the upcoming season with a hairline fracture of his spine. The junior said he plans to seek a medical redshirt. The rest of the corps, Jarvis Williams, Darrell Davis and Owen Spencer, combined for 25 catches last season.

"I'll still be there for the team," Bowens said. "It's pretty disappointing. Any one of those guys can step up. Definitely, the more veteran guys have to step up a little more. They know I'll be there to help them out, so it's not a big deal."

The Wolfpack begins its season Aug. 28 at South Carolina. O'Brien said the task of opening at such a high-profile opponent will not play a part in his selection of a starter.

"You're going to have to learn to play before a crowd sooner or later, so why not go off the bat right away and do it?" O'Brien said. "Maybe it's not the most ideal way you want to start as a first-year quarterback or a starting quarterback ... they're all competitors, they all want to play against the best. That's part of the playing the position, too. Accepting challenges like that to be the guy to go down there and play."

Jessie H. Nunery can be reached at 407-9951 or jhnunery@coxnc.com