With the departure of quarterback Jarret Doege, the West Virginia Mountaineers will be going into the 2022 season with a new starting signal-caller. For the time being, it is expected that this will be a three-man race between Garrett Greene, Will Crowder, and newcomer Nicco Marchiol. While many fans assume either Crowder or Marchiol will win the job prior to the season opener at Pitt, the favorite may actually be the only one who has seen playing time out of the three of them – that is Garrett Greene.
Though he was never able to supplant Doege as the starting quarterback in 2021, Greene saw his fair share of playing time. The Tallahassee, Florida native completed 16 of 26 passes for 147 seven yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. Primarily used in the running game, Greene toted the ball 48 times for 297 yards and four touchdowns. When it was finally his time to see the playing field, Greene would almost always give the offense new life.
It is because of this experience that I expect him to go into the season as the dark horse favorite to be the starting quarterback on September 1st.
If Neal Brown has shown anything during his time at West Virginia, it is that he is uncomfortable running inexperienced guys onto the field. Many speculated that this was why Greene was used so sparingly last season. Though he may have been the obviously more athletic choice over Doege, Greene simply did not have the experience that Brown was comfortable with. Now with a year under his belt and a new offensive coordinator, Brown could very likely feel that it is finally time to turn him loose.
I do not expect there to be a starting quarterback named until midway through fall camp, but do not be surprised if the coaches seem to lean towards Greene in the headlines throughout spring football.
