WVU is Nowhere Near Ready to Declare a Starting QB

It'll be a heated QB competition in Morgantown this August.

JT Daniels' late-season struggles gave WVU head coach Neal Brown an opportunity to take a glimpse at some younger quarterback options in the final few games of the 2022 season. 

Garrett Greene helped the Mountaineers to a win over Oklahoma in relief of Daniels before starting the final two games of the year. An injury in the regular season finale against Oklahoma State opened up some playing time for then-true freshman Nicco Marchiol, who completed 2-of-9 passes for 29 yards while rushing for 32 yards on six carries. 

Marchiol has made strides this offseason to put himself in contention for the starting job this fall despite Greene having the edge in experience. Heading into what appears to be a crucial year for Neal Brown, this QB competition always felt like it would spill over into fall camp. 

"Both of them are really talented," said Brown. "They do some of the same things well. They're different, but they have some of the same characteristics having the ability to be a dual threat. Nicco's more of a strong runner. Garrett's more of a fast runner. Their good looks really good. There's some ups and downs. But I'll say this, and I wouldn't say this if I didn't feel it, I'm excited about what both of them can do.

"Even if one of them goes on a hot streak for a week, we're not going to make our decision based off one hot week. This is going to be a deal that goes through the summer into fall camp. Through nine practices, it's really confirmed my thoughts from back in November. It's going to be a long approach."

Naming a starting quarterback in March or April would have not only been a ludicrous thing to do but potentially detrimental to the offense. One of these two quarterbacks could "flip the switch" during the latter part of spring ball and surpass the guy that was named the starter with still several months to go before the ball kicks off in State College. Plus, you can't go without mentioning in today's world of college athletics, the transfer portal. Naming a starter in the spring could have prompted a transfer.

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