Opportunities there at the QB spot for West Virginia
West Virginia redshirt junior quarterback Nicco Marchiol already wasn’t going to suit up this weekend but a report by Pete Nakos of On3 has revealed that he is expected to medically redshirt. Jaylen Henderson was also ruled out for Friday’s game.
Marchiol, 6-foot-2, 235-pounds, started the first four games for the Mountaineers but has not suited up since then after it was revealed that he was dealing with a foot injury. Marchiol traveled out west to have the injury examined by specialists and had initially been ruled out in the short term.
Head coach Rich Rodriguez said that he has spoken on the phone with Marchiol who informed him of the injury during his weekly radio show.
“But what I told him, we’ve got great doctors and trainers, so I want our doctors and trainers to communicate with his doctors so they get on the same page and know exactly what it is. But he’s definitely out in the short term,” Rodriguez said. “And then once they’re doctors and talk to our doctors and trainers, we can figure out how long it’s going to be, I guess.”
Nako’s report indicates that the expectation is that he will miss the remainder of the season due to the injury as the plan is to medically redshirt, which would give the quarterback two years remaining. Rodriguez or West Virginia has yet to comment on the news.
Marchiol had completed 66-98 passes for 720 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, while rushing for 56 more yards and a score.
West Virginia now has three signal callers that will be competing for the open job in redshirt freshman Khalil Wilkins, redshirt junior Max Brown and true freshman Scotty Fox.
Rodriguez had said earlier this week that each was expected to see reps this week leading up to the BYU game but later said that both Henderson and Brown were banged up and could be limited.
Those two were listed as questionable on the initial Big 12 availability report this week.
Jaylen Henderson started the game against Utah, while Wilkins took over and flashed in his most extended action completing 3-6 passes for 63 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 39 more. Wilkins led the Mountaineers on their only scoring drives in the 48-14 loss to the Utes.
With Marchiol seemingly out of the picture, West Virginia now will have to turn to the remaining three moving forward which opens the door for each of them to compete for the job.
Wilkins brings a dynamic element with his rushing as well as upside with his ability to throw the football while Brown has college experience at previous stops. Meanwhile, Fox is a true freshman but has had both highs and lows in his brief time on the field in Morgantown.
Rodriguez has expressed confidence in each of his signal callers dating back to the spring and now it’s going to be an opportunity for one, or perhaps several, to showcase what they can do.
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