Neal Brown Says Freshman QB Khalil Wilkins is 'Going to Be a Problem'

Does West Virginia have a future star in the making?

Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

West Virginia's quarterback situation is in great shape at the moment. They have one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the league right now in Garrett Greene with Nicco Marchiol waiting in the wings to have the torch passed to him in 2025.

But beyond Marchiol, what the Mountaineers will do at quarterback remains a mystery. Or is it?

It's so far down the line that it's really difficult to peg someone the heir apparent to Marchiol when he's not even QB1 yet. As you know, players in this day and age, especially quarterbacks, tend to grow impatient and feel the need to transfer out for a better opportunity to play. But if the guys in that room stick it out and wait their turn like Greene and Marchiol before them, it could pay off in huge dividends.

BYU transfer Ryder Burton has turned some heads throughout the last several months, but true freshman Khalil Wilkins has had his fair share of big moments as well.

“I think that Khalil is super talented," said head coach Neal Brown on Monday. "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."

As a junior at Theodore Roosevelt High in Washington D.C., Wilkins threw for 3,100 yards while adding another 405 with his legs, combining for 28 touchdowns (seven rushing). He played his final year of high school ball at Riverdale Baptist where he threw for over 1,100 yards and rushed for 330 yards for 19 touchdowns (four rushing).

With Marchiol having two years of eligibility remaining after this season, it allows Wilkins plenty of time to develop into being the guy. Coming out of high school he chose the Mountaineers over offers from Boston College, Marshall, Maryland, Pitt, and several others.

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