Rich Rodriguez Gives Honest Assessment of West Virginia's Quarterback Room

It appears to be a three-man battle for the Mountaineers' starting quarterback job.

Nov 11, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Jaylen Henderson (16) runs the ball into the end zone for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

If you're expecting West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez to name a starting quarterback by the end of spring ball, you're likely to be disappointed.

The quarterback battle is going to carry over into fall camp and perhaps deep into the month of August, for a variety of reasons.

One, you're not getting a ton of 11-on-11 padded work in the spring. Two, your personnel is going to change between now and fall camp with another portal window in April. And lastly, the involved quarterbacks could look much different in four or five months once they settle into the system and learn their teammates.

Although they'll go into the summer not knowing who QB1 will be, Rodriguez doesn't show any level of concern with the group.

“I like our quarterback room from a conscientious standpoint. I mean, those guys really are eager. Of all the positions we have, I mean, everybody always worries about the quarterback position, I feel really good about the quarterback room. Real good. We’ll be okay there.”

Odds are, the starter will be a southpaw as Nicco Marchiol and Texas A&M transfer Jaylen Henderson are widely viewed as the frontrunners for the job. The last time Rodriguez was the head coach at West Virginia he had a lefty quarterback by the name of Pat White and uh yeah, that worked out pretty well.

The third man in the race that should be accounted for is Charlotte transfer Max Brown. He began his career at Florida and appeared in six games, completing 19-of-28 pass attempts for 192 yards. The move to Charlotte didn't work out due to being banged up and not having much of a supporting cast.

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