Is the Perfect QB for Rich Rodriguez Already on the Roster?

Khalil Wilkins is a name Mountaineer Nation may want to get familiar with.

West Virginia University freshman quarterback Khalil Wilkins / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

In 2007, the West Virginia Mountaineers had a left-handed, dual-threat quarterback under Rich Rodriguez who put up video game-like numbers, putting WVU on the doorstep of the national championship.

Fast-forward 17 years later, and the unthinkable has happened. Rodriguez has made his return as the WVU head coach, and he just so happens to inherit a left-handed, dual-threat quarterback. Well, two of them, actually. Nicco Marchiol can be considered a dual threat, but in this particular case, I'm talking about the freshman, Khalil Wilkins.

When you flick on the tape from his high school days, you see the kind of tools that would get someone like Rich Rodriguez excited. You immediately begin to think...could this kid be the next Pat White? And before you begin to think I'm putting a lot of unfair pressure on the young man or think that I'm crazy for loosely comparing him to the legendary Mountaineer QB, I'm not saying he's Pat White all over again. It's just crazy to see a left-handed, dual-threat quarterback who will be a redshirt freshman have a chance at developing into Rodriguez's next superstar at quarterback.

I do realize the transfer portal is a thing. It exists. It's out there. I know. There's a possibility Wilkins hops in, and all of this conversation is for nothing, but the same can be said for any player at any position. But if he does remain in Morgantown, Rich Rod may have something special on his hands.

Now, I will say I don't think he's on track to become the Mountaineers' starter in 2025. I still expect that to be a battle between Nicco Marchiol and a transfer. But there's no reason why Wilkins can't develop into the answer down the road. He's good in the read game, throws on the run exceptionally well, and, of course, has a similar scare factor that Garrett Greene has put into defenses over the past two years.

For what it's worth, former WVU head coach Neal Brown alluded to Wilkins' high ceiling earlier this season during the first bye week.

“I think that Khalil is super talented. He has some wow plays that go both ways. Wow, that’s really good, or wow, that’s really bad. There’s going to have to be some patience there as far as getting him fundamentally where he needs to be and to where he understands what defenses are going to do, but he can really run, and he’s going to be a problem. He’s really talented; we just got to get him honed in."

Going purely based on the style of quarterbacks Rodriguez likes to have in his offense, I'd be willing to bet he'd like to see Khalil Wilkins stick around and perhaps one day become the man in Morgantown.

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