New Stony Brook starting quarterback Casey Case brings exciting dynamic to offense
Stony Brook quarterback Casey Case looks to pass the ball during a practice at LaValle Stadium on Aug. 9, 2023. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Stony Brook has a new starting quarterback whose name alone conjures images of touchdowns: Casey Case.
However, the 6-6 transfer from the University of Buffalo is being asked to do much more than paint pretty mental pictures of what’s in store this season. He is being asked to be an agent of change and usher in a new, more exciting era for a Seawolves team trying to rebound from a two-win season and return to relevance in the increasingly tough Coastal Athletic Association.
Case was recruited largely based on film of his practices with the Bulls — he only appeared in three games during the past two seasons and didn’t throw a pass — and the character he showed coaches in interviews. But the Florida product emerged as the choice to start with his performance at spring practices.
“The best part of his game is that he has a high-percentage completion ratio, the big arm when he needs a big arm and the screen arm when he needs the screen arm,” 18th-year coach Chuck Priore said. “He needed a few spring practices to get used to the playbook and get in sync with the rest of the offense. Then he completed 74% of his passes [in the final nine practices].”
“Not perfect at first but as a quarterback, you find your rhythm,” Case, a junior, said of spring practices. “You match with your receivers. You get the timing down and that . . . doesn't really happen right away. That's why you have spring ball. To find that [coordination] before you actually have to play in a real game.”
The running game has traditionally been the main ingredient in Priore’s offenses. The arrivals of Case and new offensive coordinator Andrew Dresner are expected to move the passing game closer to center stage.
“It’s only been a short time, but Dresner is an offensive genius and it feels like an exciting time,” senior running back Jayden Cook said. “He’s shown us that we have weapons all around. We’re going to be very good in the passing game as well as the running game.”
Prior to his arrival at Stony Brook, Dresner had been offensive coordinator at CAA rival Maine. In four of his five seasons there, the Black Bears were among the conference’s top five scoring offenses.
The linchpin, however, is going to be Case as he lines up at the program’s premier position.
He was recruited to Buffalo out of Winter Park (Florida) High, where he threw 41 touchdowns in two seasons as its starter. He was redshirted his first season with the Bulls and then the entire coaching staff was hired away by Kansas. Some recruits would have transferred right there but Case wanted to stay with an FBS team that had played in the Mid-American Conference title game and won a bowl game.
“It had only been a year and I wanted to ride it out,” Case said of the decision to remain at Buffalo. “I knew with change [there] sometimes comes opportunity, so I wanted to give the new staff a chance and feel it out.”
He completed his undergraduate degree in three years and Stony Brook offered him the playing time he badly wanted as well as the opportunity to earn an MBA a stone’s throw from the financial center of the world.
Case envisions a very democratic offense, one where receptions are made out of the backfield, quick passes move the chains and the deep threat cannot be ignored.
“I’m a pass-first guy and not a runner, but the most important thing to me is to get the ball into the hands of the playmakers in space," Case said. "We have a lot of great athletes and I want them to do all they can do.
“That said, if there is a [deep] one-on-one shot, I am going to take it,” he added. “I believe we have guys that are going to get those one-on-one opportunities.”
No one has seen more of Case than Seawolves defensive back Cory Gross Jr.. He was at Buffalo for four seasons before spending 2022 at Tennessee State, and when asked about Case as a potential leader said, “He’s the kind of guy [teammates] want to play for— he’s calm and confident and wants to put people in the best position to succeed.”
“I know the place I am stepping into comes with a lot of responsibility and expectations,” Case said. “I’m ready to be whatever this team needs me to be.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
