Morgantown, West Virginia – Although Neal Brown said that all three of his young quarterbacks – Garrett Greene, Will “Goose” Crowder and Nicco Marchiol – are talented leaders and will be given a fair chance at competing for the position, the job is Marchiol’s to lose.
The Mountaineers are likely going to struggle next season regardless of which quarterback is chosen, but playing their freshman sensation for the entire season will allow him to grow and evolve with the offense.
Marchiol is a different level player and the type of quarterback that doesn’t often end up at West Virginia University. Although he will have an overwhelming amount of pressure on him to come in and rescue the program next season, he can absolutely handle it.
If anyone can come in and start for the West Virginia Mountaineers as a true freshman, it’s Nicco Marchiol. If you haven’t seen his high school highlights, it’s a must-see. He played against the top competition in the nation and he just found ways to win football games. He has the body and talent to be effective from Day 1.
“He’s got some ‘it’ factor,” Neal Brown said of Marchiol. “He’s going to be a guy that’s a fan favorite from day 1. He’s got the charisma. He’s got strong leadership capabilities. He’s a student of the game. He loves football. He’s been groomed from an early age by his father Ken to be a Division One and and hopefully an NFL quarterback.”
Brown continued: “He’s the first to congratulate his teammates when they score. He meets the defense when they come off the field and he’s got those other intangibles that makes you say these are the things that really takes someone that’s really talented and makes them special.”
Although Greene has the most seniority, Brown was clearly hesitant to allow him to throw the ball downfield last season and it certainly didn’t appear that he was being groomed to be the team’s next starter.
Neal Brown will state publicly that there’s a real quarterback competition, but Marchiol is the obvious choice.
It’s his time to shine. The West Virginia Mountaineers are Nicco Marchiol’s team now.
