Garrett Greene focuses on the mental game amid sky-high expectations
West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene feels the pressure off the field but is finding ways to combat it.
On Saturday afternoons if Greene is pressured he usually tries to use his legs to scamper away from opposing defenders. Off the field though, he is his toughest critic and heading into year two as the starter Greene is finding different ways to deal with that type of pressure.
"Big 12 champions. If I do my job at a high enough level we'll get there," Greene said of his expectations this season.
Greene enters 2024 in a much different space than where he was 12 months ago. There is not a large target on the backs of Greene and the Mountaineers who went 9-4 in 2023 and finished tied for fourth in the league standings.
This time last year the starting quarterback was unknown with Greene taking the reigns but he proved his worth, leading all quarterbacks in the country with 13 rushing touchdowns while passing for 16 more touchdowns and throwing only four interceptions.
"Being the starting quarterback because last year I really took ownership of my preparation and stuff," Greene said on where his biggest area of growth was last year. "In 2022 I didn't really know everything that entailed with being the quarterback here. So I think last year I really took it head on to become a pro and take everything in my life seriously."
Greene recognizes the challenges he is set to face in 2024 as his expectations are to be one of the top two teams in the league heading into conference championship weekend. Helping him and the rest of the team though is Dr. Sophia España Pérez.
Pérez is WVU's Clinical and Sport Behavioral Health Therapist, being with the team since 2021.
Head coach Neal Brown raved about Pérez's impact on the day-to-day nature of his team.
"Sports psych, that's been a big piece too is having Dr. Sophia in here every day. She made a significant difference and not just player-wise but serving the staff. That's something that's really just come into really got where we needed to be here in probably the last six to nine months," Brown said.
Greene and Pérez have a weekly meeting he said, helping him slow things down off the field and hoping that translates to his game on Saturdays.
"Me and her we meet once a week we meet every Tuesday morning after practice. Just gives me tools to slow the game down, because obviously when bullets are flying and things can get crazy out there. So, I think it's important to find a way to center yourself and ground yourself to let your brain process information clearly and i think she’s done a great job of allowing me to do that," Greene said.
Greene added there is sometimes a stigma with players about seeking this type of help but he says it's something that's important to him.
"I think as guys you never want to talk about your mental, but as society is nowadays I think it's important guys get the help they need to," Greene said.
With the start of the 2024 season just under a month away, Greene will continue to focus on himself and what is now his team as he looks to deliver on the field in part due to the help he's getting off it.
"I'm the guy that we need at quarterback so I don't really care about opinions other than the people in this building."
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