Khalil Wilkins or Jaylen Henderson? WVU Still Undecided at QB Heading Into Week 6

Entering Week 6 of the 2025 season and the West Virginia Mountaineers are still searching for an answer at the most important position — quarterback. All five quarterbacks have made an appearance at some point this season, but only Nicco Marchiol and Jaylen Henderson have started games.

This week, a third could notch his first start in Khalil Wilkins. The redshirt freshman did some nice things in relief of Henderson this past week against Utah, earning some trust from the coaching staff.

"We knew Khalil was pretty dynamic, but he missed all spring and really wasn't full-go until camp because of the shoulder injury. He was further behind the other guys from an offensive standpoint just because he couldn't take reps," Rodriguez said. "He's a very conscientious guy and can make all the throws. I think he'll get more comfortable each week. I think he gives us a little bit more dynamic runner in there, but he's got to be able to throw it too. There were times in that game where we probably could have and should have thrown the ball down the field a little bit, but we got to be ready to do that this week."

Although Henderson's first start didn't go the way he or anyone in that building wanted, Rodriguez made sure to note that it wasn't all on him, which is accurate. There were several times when he was met with a defender in his face right after receiving the snap from Carson Lee.

"Jaylen was okay. I didn't think he played horribly, but it just wasn't the spark, and to Jaylen's defense, there probably wasn't a lot of help, including the coaches. At halftime, we needed to make a change, and Khalil is a really dynamic runner. He's still learning. He's a young guy, he's a freshman. I thought he gave us a little spark and had a couple opportunities of playing better in the second half, so we're going to see what goes on this week with the four quarterbacks we got."

Yes, Wilkins provided the spark the Mountaineer offense needed, but giving him the start this week isn't as simple as you would think. To make your first-ever start on the road, on a short week, in a tough environment, against this defense, is far from ideal. You want to do everything you possibly can to protect the confidence and good habits of your quarterback, and throwing him into the fire on Friday night could put those two things in danger.

Whether he starts or not, Wilkins will almost certainly play. It's more a matter of how much? When asked by Tony Caridi if he's decided on a starter for this week, Rodriguez responded, "Not yet. I mean, we have an idea as a staff the way the rotation is going to work. But we're looking at some young guys, too, and not just because you lose a couple games, but because there are some guys that we really got to see if you put them in the game, how well (do) they perform? Opportunities are going to be out there for a lot of guys."

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI