Examining Nicco Marchiol's Future at West Virginia Following the Rich Rodriguez Hire

2025 was set to be the year for Nicco Marchiol to take over WVU's offense. Is that still in play?

Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Nicco Marchiol was set to take over the reins of the West Virginia offense in 2025, but with Neal Brown no longer the man in charge, there's no certainty that he will indeed be the guy next fall.

Heck, in this day and age, there's no certainty that he'll even be in Morgantown. He has not given any indication that he wants to enter the transfer portal, but with a new head coach, anything is on the table, and that's for everyone on the roster.

If Marchiol does stay put, though, is it his job to lose?

I don't think so. Don't get me wrong, he'll be in the running, as he should, but Rich Rodriguez isn't just going to hand him the role of QB1. He's going to have to earn it, and he's likely going to have to beat out someone that gets brought in through the portal. Ryder Burton probably isn't in position to compete for the starting job, and while Khalil Wilkins has the athleticism and skillset needed, he could use a little more time to develop as well, meaning portaling in a quarterback is probably a good idea.

Marchiol isn't exactly a perfect fit for a Rich Rod-style offense, either. Can he operate it? Sure. Could he do it well? I'm sure he could. All I'm saying is he's not exactly the style of quarterback that Rodriguez would recruit. He's more of a pocket passer who has the ability to use his legs if needed, but he isn't going to be a dynamic force on the ground like his predecessor, Garrett Greene, who, by the way, would have been a perfect fit for Rich Rod.

Plus, what coach takes a new job these days and doesn't bring in a quarterback out of the transfer portal? It's almost a guarantee at this point. There are plenty of options out there for Rodriguez and his staff to pursue, and they'd be crazy to just sit on their hands and roll into 2025 with no competition for Marchiol, who is still considered an unproven player at this point in his career.

Yes, he's won a handful of games as a starter for WVU, but that was in a different offensive system, one that fits him, and he was never the guy on a week-to-week basis, which is a completely different animal. He's completed 58.2% of his passes in his career for 742 yards, eight touchdowns, and five interceptions. It's not like he's coming off a year in which he started and threw for 3,000 yards - that's what I mean by proven.

By the time the season-opener rolls around, Marchiol may end up being the best man for the job, but bringing in competition for that job is a must, in my opinion.

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