Jaylen Henderson Battles for Role at WVU While Honoring His Late Sister’s Legacy

Football is all about competition. From practice, to the weight room, to studying the playbook, to the game itself, you're always battling for a role or to keep your job.

New West Virginia quarterback Jaylen Henderson lost the starting quarterback job to Nicco Marchiol, but his confidence hasn't wavered, and he has continued to battle every day, fighting for a larger role in the Mountaineer offense.

The toughest battles in life, however, come off the football field, and unfortunately for Henderson, he knows that all too well, having lost his sister to cancer at a young age to cancer. On Monday, he briefly shared his story in a post on X while also voicing his support for WVU Medicine Children's.

"September 1st marks the first day of childhood cancer awareness month, as well as my sister Brittiana's birthday, who passed away at age 13 from leukemia! Because of her legacy, my family and I have helped over 10k kids battling cancer and their families, and I look forward to supporting @WVUKids any way I can. Giving Back is #HardEdge."

The West Virginia football team has had a strong relationship with the Children's Hospital, spanning across several decades. Players and coaches, regardless of the head coach, have all kept that bond between the program and the kids going.

A few years back, the team added the wave to the Children's Hospital as part of the Mountaineer Mantrip on gamedays, stopping at the top of the steps and recognizing those who are going through a difficult time to let them know they've got an entire football team behind them in their battle.

In his Mountaineer debut, Henderson went 0/2 passing, but did rush for 40 yards on two carries, showing his explosiveness in the run game. Head coach Rich Rodriguez said that if things had gone as they had wanted them to in the first half, Henderson would have been in the game much earlier. While Nicco Marchiol remains the starter, there's a good chance we'll see more of Henderson moving forward.

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI