Nicco Marchiol or Jaylen Henderson? Is There a Wild Card? Examining the WVU QB Room

Who will come out on top of the West Virginia quarterback battle in 2025? Some early thoughts.

WVU Football and Imagn image

Nicco Marchiol was expected to take over as the West Virginia starting quarterback in 2025, but Neal Brown out and Rich Rodriguez in, that could change.

Last week, Marchiol announced his decision to remain with the Mountaineers and not enter the transfer portal. However, since the announcement, WVU landed a commitment out of the transfer portal from former Texas A&M quarterback Jaylen Henderson.

What does this mean for the West Virginia quarterback room? Let's break it all down.

Nicco Marchiol

Even with Henderson in the fold, Marchiol still has the upper hand, at least at the moment. Sure, it's a new staff and a new offensive system, but he does have the most game experience of anyone on the roster, and that has to account for something. Plus, he's undefeated as a starter at WVU, which should also matter.

Marchiol wouldn't have decided to stay if he didn't feel he had a good and fair chance of winning the starting job. Of course, things could change after spring ball, but it's unlikely that a starter will be named that early on.

He may not be a "perfect fit" for a Rich Rodriguez offense, but he's more than capable of getting the job done. Marchiol can run and is a willing runner, but he isn't exactly someone that defenses are going to fear if he pulls the ball down. I would describe him as a pocket passer who can use his legs when needed.

The one thing he must improve this season is his awareness in the pocket. Sometimes, he'll hold onto the ball too long or can't evade pressure when the pocket collapses.

Jaylen Henderson

Henderson has been a career backup at Fresno State and Texas A&M, but that doesn't mean he can't win the starting job at West Virginia and blossom into a star. This is a Rich Rodriguez offense, however, and any quarterback with a true dual-threat skill set has a chance to be special in this system.

In five games at A&M in 2023, Henderson completed 53-of-78 pass attempts for 715 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions. He also rushed for 104 yards and two scores.

I'm not someone who typically likes to get into the comparison game, but if we're speaking purely from an athletic standpoint, he reminds me a lot of former Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson. He doesn't have the cannon of an arm like Richardson, but he has that bigger build and physical running style that resembles that of the Indianapolis Colts' starter.

He had an opportunity to start at Liberty but passed that up to come to West Virginia. He's not coming to Morgantown to be the backup. He's here to compete for the starting job. If he's able to complete passes at a high enough rate in the offseason and showcases his ability to create explosive plays, he'll have a solid chance to overtake Marchiol.

A wild card?

While Marchiol and Henderson are the frontrunners to win the job, there's always a chance Khalil Wilkins could surprise everyone and make a huge move to become the guy. I wouldn't set that as the expectation, but maybe he can position himself to become the backup quarterback and have a package. Then he's only one snap away from running the show.

He's a raw prospect in that he has a long way to go before he's considered a polished product, but the talent is certainly there. I figured he would have a chance to be a starter at some point under Neal Brown, but I believe his future is much brighter in this offense under Rich Rod.

Who wins the job?

It's obviously way too early to tell who will be QB1, and I'm not going to make any predictions without seeing what type of leap Marchiol makes and how he looks in this offense. Plus, we haven't had a chance to see Henderson up close and in person to truly get a feel for what he brings to the table.

All that said, I do believe this will be a true quarterback battle and one that will go deep into fall camp, possibly up until the start of the season. Because the Mountaineers aren't opening the season against a Power Four opponent and will instead host Robert Morris in Week 1, both are likely to see the field. So it's not the end of the world if this battle isn't settled until late August.

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI

Former WVU WR Traylon Ray Reveals Transfer Destination

Package Deal! West Virginia Lands Pair of Jacksonville State Defensive Back Transfers

Chattanooga DB Transfer Jordan Walker Commits to West Virginia

Kentucky Beats Out West Virginia for Clemson WR Transfer Troy Stellato