Nicco Marchiol Talks Adjusting to Rich Rodriguez’s System After Neal Brown Era

The West Virginia football team is gearing up for an exciting chapter in a new era. Of course, the main excitement is centered around the hard edge that new head coach Rich Rodriguez will create. It’s an exciting time for the Mountaineers as the season is getting ready to get underway.

The redshirt junior quarterback Nicco Marchiol is going to be tasked with kicking off the Rodriguez era on a positive note, assuming he wins the starting job. To do that, he will need to rack up wins quickly. Marchiol was asked by reporters what some of the big changes were in this new offense.

“I think some things, like footwork,” Marchiol said. “I think that can carry over. That was something that we honed in on my whole career, just having precise drops and precise footwork. And then the things like mechanics. You always try to keep your mechanics consistent.”

Marchiol has made it clear that his mechanics are a big focus for him. However, he highlighted one key advantage he feels like he still has. Marchiol still thinks he can read the defense really well, which is a strength for him. He sounds super confident about his fit within this offense.

“And then defensive knowledge, that can play into both offenses,” Marchiol said. “Defense is defense. One high, two high, you’re going to know what you’re looking at and know how to beat it. Other than that, it is an entirely new system that I feel like I fit really well in.”

It’s exciting for the Mountaineer faithful to hear from the redshirt junior about how confident he feels in this new offense. There are a ton of uncertainties about what to expect out of this offense and team as a collective in the 2025 college football season. However, it sounds like Marchiol is ready for the challenges that are inevitable to come his way playing in the Big 12.

The Mountaineer fan base has been plagued with mediocrity for the last few seasons. Many in the fan base are beyond tired of the soft approach era.

The sportsbooks think they are a six-win team in the 2025 season. At the very least, this Rodriguez offense will challenge the team to give their absolute best efforts. While no one truly knows what to expect in the first year of the Rodriguez reunion, everyone knows effort will be there. That's exciting. Marchiol is ready for this new playbook and confident in his abilities.

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