Pros and Cons of Jarret Doege Returning Next Season

West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Jarret Doege (2) makes a pass against Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday.

Morgantown, West Virginia – Unbelievably, Jarret Doege could be back with the West Virginia Mountaineers next season.

Doege, a redshirt senior, played two full seasons at Bowling Green as a freshman and sophomore, then transferred to West Virginia in 2019 when Neal Brown took the job.  Doege sat out most of the season, taking over for Austin Kendall with only four games left.  Under NCAA rules, Doege was able to play four games and still be redshirted, so that season didn’t count for him.  He then played a full season as the starter last season, but that season didn’t count for anyone due to COVID.

This is the first season that will actually count towards Doege’s eligibility since arriving in Morgantown, giving him another season remaining with the Mountaineers.

Pros: If he returns, this would be his sixth season as a starting quarterback, making him one of the most experienced quarterbacks in college football history.  In addition, he has performed well in the past two weeks and is the leading passer in terms of yards per game in the Big 12 Conference.

Cons:  The Mountaineers return two very quality young quarterbacks in Garrett Greene and Will “Goose” Crowder, and four star stud Nicco Marchiol arrives on campus next season.

Imagine being Greene, Crowder and Marchiol watching Doege’s mishaps from the sidelines for another season.  Unfortunately, something is going to have to give.  Either Garrett Greene or Goose Crowder will likely transfer, but there will still be a tremendous logjam at the quarterback position.

Overall, his potential return would certainly stunt the growth of three high-quality young quarterbacks.

Odds he’ll return:

Very high.

What other options does Doege have?

Transfer to a Power 5 program that is just dying for a Jarret Doege to come in and save their program?  Nope.

Quit football entirely with another year of eligibility remaining?  Not likely.

Return for one more ride with a head coach (Neal Brown) that thinks he can do no wrong?  Bingo.