Rich Rodriguez Shifting Focus To Younger QBs Ahead Of WVU-BYU Showdown

The Mountaineers will likely see one of their two freshman quarterbacks get the starting nod against the Cougars.
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Expect WVU football to shift their focus at quarterback this coming week.

Redshirt junior Nicco Marchiol, who started four games this season for the Mountaineers, will be out for “several weeks” and last week, Jaylen Henderson was benched following the first half after starting against Utah. Khalil Wilkins finished the game at signal caller.

During Tuesday’s weekly press conference, Rich Rodriguez seemed pretty focused early on Wilkins and true freshman Scotty Fox Jr. when talking about quarterback prep for the upcoming trip to BYU. When asked about that, he disclosed that there might be a shift coming toward the two younger quarterbacks on the roster due to necessity, as Henderson and Max Brown are both “limited” in what they’re able to do.

[They’re] a little banged up,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez did put a decent spotlight on Wilkins during the press conference, saying that he believes Wilkins’ “future, his upside looks really good.” But he was behind Scotty Fox Jr. to start the season, and there have been rumors since the spring that he is “the future” of West Virginia football. So don’t be surprised to see the two players rotate if whoever starts doesn’t see a ton of success early.

Regardless of which of the two gets the starting nod this week or who ends up playing best, it's likely a good thing that an opportunity to shift more focus on the two younger quarterbacks on the roster has presented itself. They are the two quarterbacks who have shown the biggest spark for the offense this season outside of Marchiol is the final eight minutes of The Backyard Brawl, and as the season seems to be taking a downward turn, it's a good idea to identify future building blocks, especially at signal caller.


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