West Virginia investing in dual-threat quarterbacks
West Virginia head coach Neal Brown admits that it took him longer than he would like.
But when it comes to success on the offensive side, the Mountaineers have had a history with dual-threat quarterbacks and Brown is now very much following in the same path.
“Having a quarterback that’s a dual threat is a must,” he said.
Redshirt senior quarterback Garrett Greene took the reins down the stretch of the 2022 season and with that the Mountaineers evolved the offense to fit his skill set.
That meant taking advantage of more read option in the run game, run-pass-options and a variety of other schemes that the fleet-footed Greene would allow the Mountaineers to utilize over what was in place when JT Daniels was under center.
Greene then followed that up with a strong 2023 where he saw his numbers jump as the full-time starter. He was able to make up for some of his deficiencies with his play-making ability.
Greene threw for 2,406 yards and 16 touchdowns with just 4 interceptions but also rushed for 772 yards and 13 scores as a dynamic playmaker at the position.
And the coaching staff fully embraced targeting those options that fit into that style of offense.
“There’s some weather factors to that, there’s a factor in recruiting-wise what best fits you in recruiting but the dual-threat quarterback is definitely the way to go,” Brown said.
And West Virginia is showcasing that investment on the recruiting trail with 2025 commitment Mentor (Oh.) quarterback Scotty Fox displaying the ability to extend plays and move the pocket and Kingston (Ga.) Cass 2026 commitment Brodie McWhorter another dynamic signal caller.
Fox managed to rush for 330 yards and 11 touchdowns while McWhorter, despite being limited by his coaching staff on designed runs, still managed to roll up 530 yards and 5 touchdowns as a sophomore. And while their rushing ability is a bonus, both are impressive passers.
West Virginia has made an investment in finding a certain skill set under center and has done a good job of finding exactly what the program wants both now and in the future. It’s a different approach from the air raid scheme that Brown was raised in as a coach but in many ways not that different.
“We still run the air raid pass plays but sometimes there might be some run-action pass, protection, things like that,” Brown said.
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