The news came late last night on Thursday's Big 12 player availability reports, but was to be expected after Rich Rodriguez's press conference on Tuesday: WVU football's Nicco Marchiol, who has started at quarterback all four games this season but but has often struggled, is set to miss the Utah game this weekend for certain.
Rodriguez mentioned Marchiol was "questionable" on Tuesday, and that he was visiting a specialist in Colorado for "mid-foot pain." He was listed officially as questionable on Wednesday's initial player availability report, but last night's update moved him to out. So now, we're definitely going to see a new starter this week, and if the first few games are any indication, we might also see a few different players take snaps at signal caller.
WVU QB Nicco Marchiol has been ruled OUT for Saturday’s game against Utah. pic.twitter.com/VJ77UYnBIi
— Spencer Ripchik (@RipchikSpencer) September 26, 2025
So what comes next for the West Virginia Mountaineers at quarterback? It's hard to say, for sure. Last week against Kansas, Henderson was the second man in at quarterback and proceeded to lead the team on a long scoring drive after the offense had looked stagnant much of the game – and it came against the Jayhawks' starters. He scored the only touchdown of the day for WVU, and finished the game as the team's leading rusher with 79 yards on just seven carries. But he's been fairly unimpressive in his passing performances so far.
Scotty Fox Jr. is a true freshman, but was the second quarterback in the game after Marchiol was benched against Pitt in Week 3. He led the team on a scoring drive to start his performance, but was pulled out after a pair of back-to-back interceptions let Pitt get back into the game and take the lead. He's previously been rumored to be the future of the program, but might not be fully ready for the role.
Last week, Khalil Wilkins, a redshirt freshman, relieved Henderson late in the game and looked impressive in the run game himself but didn't throw the ball. So one starts to wonder if maybe he's moved ahead of Fox on the depth chart, or if Rodriguez just wanted to get him more reps – it was his first time seeing action since Week 1.
The wild card is Max Brown – he was third string during spring practices and was arguably the most impressive quarterback when it came to his athleticism and ability to move the ball with his legs, but was injured to start the season and has yet to see snaps. His most recent stats from Charlotte don't inspire confidence, completing less than 50% of his passes and throwing six interceptions to just three touchdowns, but much of that came after a hand injury that held him back. He was initially recruited by the Florida Gators.
So those are the options – but it leaves decisions to be made. Do you go with the older option in Henderson, whose eligibility expires after this season, or do you look to develop Fox or Wilkins by tossing them into the fire? And if so, which one of those two do you choose – or maybe you get them both reps. But do you truly want to continue dance where you play multiple quarterback in important games? And finally, where does Brown land, because he's yet to see reps this year. If he's full healthy and you're down a quarterback, he does bring more collegiate experience than the two younger options, and likely deserves a shot at winning the job.
I guess we'll all just have to wait until Saturday to see how Rodriguez decides to play his hand now that we know we won't see Marchiol against the Utes.