Three Position Battles to Watch in Spring Ball

Competition is about to heat up in Morgantown.

Today marks the first day of WVU spring practice, so it seems like a good time to preview some of the biggest position battles ahead of the 2022 season. 

Quarterback - Garrett Greene, Will Crowder, Nicco Marchiol

This is the most hyped-up quarterback competition that we have seen in Morgantown in years. For the first time in seemingly forever, West Virginia has three candidates competing for the starting job with each of them being very capable of winning the battle.

Garrett Greene has the most in-game experience, albeit not much. Most of his game film is full of QB-designed runs, options, and dump-offs in the passing game. Head coach Neal Brown mentioned several times last season that he still has to better understand coverages, which is why he didn't get the opportunity to throw the ball much even when Jarret Doege struggled. 

“He’s going through this maturation and growth process," Brown said. "He’s a guy that didn’t have what I would say ‘normal quarterback upbringing.’ So, the way the quarterbacks are kind of brought up now is that they play seven on seven starting in middle school, and you do a bunch of seven on seven tournaments, and you have seven on seven teams, and you have spring football, and you basically getting a bunch of live reps. And for him, that just wasn’t his experience. He was a baseball player. He comes from a baseball family. He played summer baseball. He didn’t go through spring practice. He didn’t go to many (spring) practices at all. He played in an offense that was really run-base. It wasn’t a spread type of offense. So, they weren’t asking him to make progressions or look at coverages a whole lot. So, he just didn’t have that same type of quarterback upbringing as some of the others."

Will "Goose" Crowder probably has the biggest arm of the three but lacks the mobility that both Greene and true freshman Nicco Marchiol possess. Don't get me wrong, Crowder can move, just not as well as the others. That's why if Crowder is going to have any chance of winning this battle, he's going to have to really wow the coaching staff with his arm and decision-making. 

Marchiol is the ultimate competitor and has all the characteristics you want a young quarterback to have. Great attitude, terrific work ethic, quality leader, a great teammate, and most importantly, he's a winner. Although many within the fanbase have already dubbed Marchiol the face of the future, he still has to go out there and earn it. 

"We’re going to go through the spring, and the belief is that one of them will take reigns of the job, or we’ll get it narrowed down to two, and if that’s not the case, then we’ll go find a guy," Neal Brown said. "There will be guys available, but I thought it was important for them, and important for the trajectory of our football team, to let those guys have the ability to go out and compete in the spring, and so, we’ll do that.”

Should none of the three separate themselves in spring ball, one name that could join the mix is former Georgia quarterback JT Daniels. Daniels has ties with new offensive coordinator Graham Harrell and is planning on visiting West Virginia soon. He also holds interest from Missouri and Oregon State. 

Running backs - Lyn-J Dixon, Justin Johnson Jr., Tony Mathis

It took a long time for someone to step up as the No. 2 back behind Leddie Brown, but Tony Mathis took hold of that role late in the season. He finished the year very strong with a 118-yard rushing performance in the season finale at Kansas and rushed for 56 yards on 11 carries in the bowl game against Minnesota. For what it's worth, the Mountaineers were 6-3 when he played.

When losing a workhorse like Leddie Brown, you have to either have an elite back ready to fill his shoes or bring in a veteran that can help bridge the gap to the young guy. However, Lyn-J Dixon may be more than just a bridge to Tony Mathis, Justin Johnson, and Jaylen Anderson. In three years at Clemson, Dixon rushed for 1,420 yards and 13 touchdowns on 218 carries. He was expected to be "the guy" last season after Travis Etienne left for the NFL, but it didn't end up panning out. Now, he's got a chance to compete for the starting job once again, and this time, he appears to be ready for what lies ahead. 

The other two that could be in the mix are Justin Johnson Jr. and Jaylen Anderson. Johnson had 90 yards on 24 carries as a true freshman and although he had limited opportunities, running backs coach Chad Scott tabbed him as the "most advanced" back he's had. 

"I tell you what, it's been pleasing to see that kid. First of all, pass protection is the toughest responsibility for a young running back. The recognition of it and then the actual, physical picking it up and picking up bigger guys that you ain't never picked up in your life but he's done a phenomenal job at both of them. Phenomenal balance, great vision, and since I've been with Coach Brown, he's probably had the best summer of any freshman that we've been around. Weight room, academic, and to see him carry that over into fall camp, it's been really pleasing. He's picked up on the offense really well."

Jaylen Anderson arrived on campus late and took a redshirt. He's a big, physical, downhill back that has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and even line up in the slot from time to time. 

No. 2 Corner - Marcis Floyd, Mumu Bin-Wahad, Andrew Wilson-Lamp

Just about a month ago, the WVU coaching staff felt really good about the cornerback room with starters Daryl Porter Jr. and Nicktroy Fortune set to return. Then the transfer portal hit and took both of WVU's starters, leaving them in a dangerous spot. 

Charles Woods will likely assume the No. 1 cornerback spot while the other starting role remains up for grabs. Murray State transfer Marcis Floyd is presumed to be the frontrunner given the college experience he already has under his belt. Redshirt freshman Andrew Wilson-Lamp may be the fastest corner on the roster and his speed alone should allow him to be in the mix. Mumu Bin-Wahad will have an opportunity as well, but I get the sense that Jordan Lesley doesn't want a true freshman starting in Week 1.

More help is on the way with highly recruited Jacolby Spells set to join the team in the summer and the transfer portal will also be in play as well. As for now, this is a great opportunity for one of these three to separate themselves.

You can follow us for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us Twitter:

Facebook - @WVUonSI

Twitter - @SI_WVU and Schuyler Callihan at @Callihan_.