(Photo by WVU Athletics)
Spring camp is now underway for the West Virginia University Mountaineers. Neal Brown, who is heading into his fifth season at the helm, will have his work cut out for him if he hopes to escape the hot seat. Despite a 22-25 record, Brown was given one last chance to redeem himself under Athletic Director Wren Baker.
Easily Brown’s most important decision regarding the 2023 season will be his signal-caller. Redshirt junior Garrett Greene and redshirt freshman Nicco Marchiol are set to battle for the honors of QB1 following the departure of J.T. Daniels. Both quarterbacks saw action down the final stretch of the 2022 season when Daniels was benched during WVU’s 23-20 win over Oklahoma.
Greene, who had been used sparingly up to that point, gave the team a much needed shot in the arm. His dual-threat ability was simply too much for the Sooners. With his shining moment coming in arguably one of WVU’s best outings since entering the Big 12, many believe he should be given the first opportunity to start.
Marchiol, who was a highly-touted prospect out of high school, only saw action in two games last season. Outside of a game management job against Oklahoma State, his only other appearance was mop-up duty against Towson. Though the body of work isn’t there yet, his raw talent will give him a legitimate opportunity to emerge victorious in the competition.
As for when Coach Brown expects a starter to emerge, he revealed that during his press conference on Monday.
Should neither Greene or Marchiol clearly separate themselves during the spring, Brown will make the decision on his starting quarterback during fall camp. This is to be expected, however, as Brown has allowed every quarterback competition that he has overseen at WVU run into the fall.
This will also be his first quarterback competition without a transfer since arriving in Morgantown in 2019.
Stay tuned to The Voice of Motown for updates on WVU’s quarterback situation.
