QBs progressing as install nears completion

Every day that goes by is one minuscule step closer to the naming of West Virginia's starting quarterback.

Following Saturday's practice, head coach Neal Brown beamed as he provided his most recent update on the team's quarterback competition, of which three different quarterbacks are currently jostling for the starting role.

Nicco Marchiol, the early enrollee freshman, showed some flashes, Brown said.

"He had two deep balls on great throws," Brown said. "Hit Bryce [Ford-Wheaton] on one, you couldn't place it any better. He missed a protection that would've caused a big sack — freshman mistake. I thought he did a better job just managing the game. He got one delay penalty but, other than that, I thought he managed it. It's slowing down for him a little bit."

Brown also praised redshirt sophomore Garrett Greene, saying he did a "nice job."

"He made a really poor decision in our two-minute but, other than that, I thought he had a good day," Brown said. "He had a couple good runs, made a couple nice plays outside of the pocket — which is something he's done, but he was accurate when he got out of the pocket, and that's something he needed to improve on."

Will "Goose" Crowder was limited in Saturday's practice after rolling his ankle, an injury that Brown said was not serious.

Still, even with the play of the three quarterbacks already on campus steadily improving, any such discussion is marred by the underlying visit to campus by Georgia transfer J.T. Daniels, a former five-star recruit who, if he committed to the Mountaineers, would undoubtedly blow up the entire position battle.

That lingering understanding that additions will be made reaches roster wide, with coaches playing it up as added motivation for the current group of players.

"What we've stressed to them, and what we talk about to guys in our program, is we have 15 practices where what we have on campus is what we have," Brown said. "They know we’re gonna add pieces. I think we’ve got 12 or 13 that have signed that’ll be here in June, and then we’ve got another five scholarships that are open, so 18 guys will be added between now and fall camp. Those 18 guys will have an opportunity to show that they’re ready to play over the first 14, 15 practices of fall camp."

Looking ahead, with most of the playbook install done, the team will prioritize replicating different looks opposing teams will present and repping against them.

"We want to continue to put the quarterbacks in some tough situations and see how close they are to being ready," Brown said. "We did that yesterday, we did some two-minute work. That's something we need to continue to do."

There are five more practices remaining, with the spring session coming to a close following the Gold and Blue Spring Game on April 23.

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