Tomorrow, Jarret Doege will be making his fourth career start at quarterback for the Mountaineers. After a lengthy competition with redshirt senior Austin Kendall, Doege was finally named the starter on September 3rd by Head Coach Neal Brown. While many have remained skeptical about Doege’s potential, often citing that his stats resembled that of Kendall’s last season, we believe he has what it takes to set himself apart as one of the best quarterback in the Big 12.
When Doege takes the field, he will be doing so with one of the best young receiving corps in the conference. Sam James, T.J. Simmons, Sean Ryan, and Bryce Ford-Wheaton headline the unit, and all bring their own unique skill set to the table. This will give Doege more than enough weapons to play with in Neal Brown’s offense. Though a quarterback is often given credit for carrying a team, the signal-caller can only be as good as the pieces around him. With so much downfield threat potential, this will almost automatically enhance Doege’s play.
Experience is vital when talking about a quarterback. Coming from Bowling Green, Doege left with nearly two full seasons as starter under his belt. Though the Falcons are in the Mid-American Conference, a Group of 5 member, the team had the opportunity to play stout competition during Doege’s tenure. The most notable being a 2018 matchup against the Oregon Ducks in Eugene, Oregon. Despite the 58-24 loss that the Falcons suffered, Doege played exceptional in the game, completing 22-of-38 passes for 253 yards and a 3-2 TD-INT ratio.
The 19-games he competed in at Bowling Green along with the 4 games he saw action in at WVU should go a long way for Doege. He has seen virtually every situation a game can throw at him. Blowouts, close games, nail biters, and even weird matchups. There isn’t much Jarret Doege has not seen as a college quarterback.
Finally, let’s talk about the physical and mental components to Doege’s play. What he brings to the table is a fiery moxie and lethal arm talent. Several times last season, Doege put his arm strength on display for Mountaineer Nation to see. One play in particular came against Oklahoma State. Throwing off of his backfoot, Doege would fire a deep shot to receiver George Campbell for a touchdown. Despite not being properly set nor having really any leverage on the throw whatsoever, Doege was able to put the touch, velocity, and strength behind the throw to find the receiver in the end zone for the touchdown.
It was at this moment we knew Doege’s arm talent should never come into question. Very few quarterbacks would have been able to make that throw, much less put the touch on it to get it over the defender. The throw was undoubtedly NFL-like, and if he can continue to make plays like this, he will have no problems getting acclimated to the high-scoring Big 12 Conference.
As for his fiery moxie, this shows his leadership capabilities. Quarterbacks are expected to be the leader of the team. In doing so, they cannot be afraid to show their personality a little during a game. Doege became animated each time he made a big play. Celebrating with teammates, giving a fired up fist pump, and most famously extending his hands to let out an in-game war cry to the crowd. If this personality Doege displays can translate to the locker room, he will easily win over his teammates – if he hasn’t done so already.
Doege has everything it takes to be a spectacular Big 12 quarterback. The arm, the experience, and the passion. If he continues to grow in Neal Brown’s offense, he could even find himself in the midst of the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year conversation.
If you have not heard it anywhere else, then you heard it here first. Jarret Doege will be one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12 – sooner rather than later.
