Since he first saw the field for the Mountaineers in 2019, I have been a huge Jarret Doege fan. I think he is a solid quarterback and an even better game manager. However, over the course of the last season, it occurred to me that despite what I felt, he might not be what WVU’s offense needs.
Though he is a good passer, Doege does not possess the mobility that Neal Brown’s offense requires. That was a lot of the reason for his struggles last season, particularly in the Autozone Liberty Bowl win over Army. Brown utilizes a lot of zone reads in his offense, and in order to run those successfully, the quarterback has to be sound on his feet. Doege, though he isn’t a complete statue, just does not have the mobility or speed to become a factor in this part of the game.
Doege easily has the most experience on the roster, and I expect him to win the quarterback competition going into the opening game against Maryland. However, I don’t see him preventing Greene from supplanting him before the end of the season.
The skill of Greene and the potential it opens up for the offense is just going to be too for Neal Brown to keep sidelined for the entire season. It could come right out of the gates or midway through the season, but WVU will play against a defense that will attack the quarterback regularly at some point. In order to beat a defense like that, the quarterback has to be able to make plays on his feet. Doege has yet to prove he can do this, and if he hasn’t improved, it will become problematic.
Looking at WVU’s schedule, I feel like we could see Greene’s debut as the team’s starter sometime before the Iowa State game, or possibly even in that matchup. As much as I hate to admit it, it just seems very inevitable right now that this will be Garrett Greene’s team by the time we reach bowl season. I believe he will ultimately be the team’s next long-time starter, and I will stand by that as my bold prediction going into the season.
