When Jarret Doege hit Isaiah Esdale for a 35-yard touchdown in West Virginia’s matchup against TCU last season, many people thought that Neal Brown had something special on his hands.

Coming in the dwindling minutes of the regular season finale, Doege eloquently placed the pass just out of reach of a TCU defender and into Esdale’s hands, giving the Mountaineers the lead and, ultimately, allowing them to end the season with a victory.

With West Virginia no longer in bowl contention, the win didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. Yet, Doege solidified his place at the adult’s table with the performance, and left fans with a lasting memory to mull over during the offseason.

On Thursday, Brown officially announced that Doege would be the Mountaineers’ starting quarterback heading into next week’s season-opener against Eastern Kentucky, beating out last year’s initial starter, Austin Kendall.

The announcement became leading news, as it should have been, but here’s the thing: the way I see it, there never should have been a quarterback competition. Doege already earned it, and he earned it long ago.

I’m not writing this column to trash Austin Kendall — that would be crass and irresponsible. I’m writing this column because, quite simply, Doege wowed during the 2019 season. Kendall did not.

I will give Kendall credit as he seemingly made the most of the circumstances he was thrown into. Not to beat a dead horse, but Dana Holgorsen’s recruiting efforts left the 2019 roster in a lackluster place, and the fact that the Mountaineers were able to limp to a 5-7 record is remarkable. Kendall’s role in that cannot be denied as he led WVU to wins over James Madison, NC State and Kansas.

The Mountaineers were also riddled with run game woes, injuries and plenty of depth chart adjustments throughout the season, but Doege had to deal with the same circumstances. And he showed out.

Doege played in four games during the 2019 season, completing nearly two-thirds of his passes and connecting for seven touchdowns. His play brought an increased energy to the team. He passed the eyeball test.

Kendall, on the other hand, struggled mightily with his mobility in the pocket in his nine games played. Many other skills were problematic, leading favorability to falter as the season went on.

Doege will likely never be a serious Heisman Trophy candidate, but he will 100% be a productive quarterback in the Big 12. He earned the role to start last season, and the Mountaineers are in much better hands with Doege under center in 2020.

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