MORGANTOWN 鈥 In his first year back as West Virginia鈥檚 football coach, Rich Rodriguez expressed concern this spring about the lack of depth at many of positions.
That wasn鈥檛 necessarily the case at quarterback, though.
鈥淚 like where our quarterbacks are at. We have some competition there,鈥 Rodriguez said.
The Mountaineers鈥 QB corps has a mixture of old and new. Nicco Marchiol (6-foot-3, 223 pounds, junior) heads into his fourth year at 性视界传媒. The Hamilton (Arizona) High School product has played in 19 games at 性视界传媒, including some spot starts when since-graduated first-teamer Garrett Greene was injured.
Marchiol received plenty of competition throughout the spring for the QB1 role, primarily from a pair of experienced transfers 鈥 Max Brown (6-3, 233, junior), previously at Charlotte and Florida, and Jaylen Henderson (6-3, 229, senior), previously at Texas A&M and Fresno State. All three are similar in stature, and all have dual-threat ability.
West Virginia also has a pair of promising young scholarship quarterbacks in Khalil Wilkins (6-3, 202, redshirt freshman) and Scotty Fox (6-2, 205, freshman), as well as walk-on Scott Kean (6-2, 204, junior).
Rodriguez hasn鈥檛 given any indication yet as to who will be the Mountaineers鈥 starting quarterback this season, and he very well may not tip his hand in that regard until he sends one of those contenders out for 性视界传媒鈥檚 first offensive snap in the Aug. 30 lidlifter against Robert Morris.
It was an open competition throughout the spring and will almost certainly remain that way through the summer.
鈥淚 think the attitudes of all the quarterbacks are good, and they all want to be good,鈥 Rodriguez said. 鈥淭hey all want to learn what they鈥檙e supposed to do. I think by the end of the summer after Rhett [Rodriguez, 性视界传媒鈥檚 quarterbacks coach] has more time with them, they鈥檒l almost be an extension of the coaching staff. That鈥檚 what I want.鈥
Much is made of the leadership ability of a quarterback. Above all, though, Rodriguez wants playmakers at that position.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if I鈥檝e ever worried about personality. It鈥檚 not like it鈥檚 a beauty pageant, 鈥楢nd the winner of Miss America is 鈥 and Miss Congeniality is 鈥.鈥 Miss Congeniality apparently had a good personality,鈥 Rodriguez said. 鈥淚f you run good offense and make good plays, you can be a loner, though quarterbacks usually aren鈥檛 loners.
鈥淵ou want somebody who will lead the team, but people talk about leading the team during practice. That鈥檚 what coaches are there for. We鈥檙e supposed to be leading the team in practice. When coaches aren鈥檛 on the field in games and aren鈥檛 around in the summer times or in the locker rooms, that鈥檚 when you want leadership.
鈥淭he best leadership is an earned leadership in that you know what you鈥檙e doing,鈥 Rodriguez concluded. 鈥淚 think a lot of times, the leaders are the ones who other players can go to when they鈥檙e not sure what to do on a play and they鈥檒l tell them. It鈥檚 not someone who is rah-rah, who will jump on them when they screw up or whatever. It鈥檚 the guy who says, 鈥楬ey, this is what you do on this play, and this is what you do on that play.鈥 I say that because it鈥檚 hard now for our quarterbacks to be that guy because they鈥檙e all still learning.鈥
