Morgantown, West Virginia – Four days before the Mountaineers open the season against the Pitt Panthers in the Backyard Brawl, West Virginia is one of the last remaining teams in the country that have yet to officially name their starting quarterback for the season.
Last week, head coach Neal Brown was resolute, saying that he was not yet ready to name a starter. “We feel really good about our present and future. We’re not to that point to name a starter. I’ll announce the starter before the Pitt game,” Brown said. “There’s not been a final decision.”
However, a source close to the program has informed The Voice of Morgantown that the starting quarterback has in fact been decided and has been known within the program for many days now.
Not surprisingly, redshirt junior transfer JT Daniels will be under center when the Mountaineers line up on Thursday against their hated rivals, Pitt. Daniels, who was informed during his recruitment to West Virginia that he would have to win the starting position and would not simply be given the job, has shined during preparation for the season opener.
“He’s mature, he’s older. I would say weathered and I mean that in a positive way,” said Neal Brown. “He’s been through some real highs and he’s been through some real lows. His approach is that of a veteran. He’s really intelligent.
What I’ve really been encouraged by and this is something that we’ve kind of challenged him with early and he’s really answered, is he’s been great in the meeting room. Especially he and Nicco (Marchiol). They’ve gotten really close which I think has been a huge positive for Nicco. He’s knowledgeable. He understands defenses. He understands what we’re trying to do within the system.”
