A weight may have just been lifted off the WVU football team’s shoulders. Will Grier, who had his playing eligibility up in the air after transferring over from Florida, looks to be able to appear with the Mountaineers sooner rather than later.
On Saturday, Grier, himself, tweeted out a message to Mountaineer fans.
It’s hard to tell who is more excited to be at Milan Puskar Stadium, the diehard WVU football fans or Grier, a former top high school product.
On that date, West Virginia will be playing against rival Virginia Tech at FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins. Grier, a quarterback who likely has his own dream of playing in the NFL, may just be the starting quarterback in that contest.
Related Story: Will Grier makes right decision with WVU
Grier was suspended halfway through the 2015 season due to use of performance enhancing drugs. Grier, who seemed legitimately apologetic for use of this banned substance, left Florida and intended to transfer to another large, Division I school.
He wound up at WVU and is currently enrolled at the school. He will have to sit out the 2016 season, but could still be involved in some team activities.
For the 2016 season, though, this is Skyler Howard’s team. Howard, who showed some flashes of brilliance throughout last season, should be poised to have his best season ever at quarterback. Grier will be able to study Howard and work and adapt to the WVU football system over the next year.
Grier is not a raw talent, by any means. At Florida, he was working on establishing himself in the starting lineup and could have led the Gators to an undefeated season before his suspension.
At Florida, he won five games and looked like a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. He can pick up where he left off there in Morgantown, with a few stipulations.
Charleston Gazette-Mail has learned QB Will Grier is eligible for 2017 opener provided he maintains eligibility requirements.
— Mike Casazza (@mikecasazza) May 20, 2016
The former Parade Magazine Player of the Year and Mr. Football USA seems to have a good head on his shoulders. He already made a mistake that cost him playing time and a potential legacy in the college football world, but he has a golden second chance at West Virginia.
He can’t afford to screw anything up on his path back to the limelight. So, it’s a safe bet that he will do everything necessary to maintain the eligibility requirements.
If so, the Hokies will have to gameplan for the newest quarterback in WVU football history.