Three Reasons Why West Virginia Added a Transfer QB

Explaining the addition of Ryder Burton to the WVU QB room.

It may have caught you off guard over the weekend to see West Virginia scoop up a commitment from a transfer quarterback. You're probably thinking, what's the point? You have Garrett Greene in place, Nicco Marchiol is his successor, and Khalil Wilkins is set to enter the program this summer...we believe.

So, why add Burton? It helps the present, short-term future, and the long haul.

Wilkins was scheduled to enroll early and participate and spring ball, but due to some transcript issues out of his control that has been delayed. But the addition of Ryder Burton, in my opinion, is not tied to Wilkins' situation. It's more to replace Sean Boyle who entered the transfer portal before the spring game and to also give Marchiol someone to compete against in 2025.

Now let's not be fooled here. The starting job is Marchiol's to lose come next fall. But you never want to have a situation where there's no competition going on in the room and you're just handing the guy the job. Challenging Marchiol is only going to make him better. That's why you always here coaches at every level say they are looking to get better at every position when asked about team needs. It may sound like coach speak and sometimes it is, but there's also some truth mixed in there.

Burton's arrival isn't just about 2025 and beyond, though. As I stated numerous times on Between the Eers, you need a third option at QB incase stuff hits the fan with injuries. You don't want to throw a walk-on out there and put him and your offense in an almost impossible situation. As evidenced last season, a gameplan can change in an instant when there's an injury at the QB position. This team is too talented and too deep to just scrape by if injuries do pop up in the QB room. Burton gives you some insurance.

Then there's also the potential that the kid has. He has great arm talent and has the athleticism to beat you with his legs, when necessary. The coaching staff believes he has an opportunity to be a starter down the line and can groomed into that role while waiting his turn such as Greene and Marchiol did.

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