WVU's Two Young QBs Are Creating Buzz Behind the Scenes — Here’s What We Know

Scotty Fox Jr. and Khalil Wilkins are showing some promising things in their development.

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Who starts at quarterback this week for West Virginia? Well, for the first time since the season opener, we don't know the answer to that. Nicco Marchiol (foot) is considered questionable and saw a specialist earlier this week in Colorado.

Jaylen Henderson is the likely choice to replace him, but who knows? Maybe one of the youngsters earns that role or, at the very least, sees action in Saturday's game vs. Utah.

In our latest episode of In the Gun, Jed Drenning gave us a peek behind the curtain, detailing what he's seen from both of the young options, Khalil Wilkins and Scotty Fox Jr., each of whom could see a lot of playing time if Marchiol's foot sidelines him.

Khalil Wilkins

West Virginia University quarterback Khalil Wilkins | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

“Here’s what I’ll say about Khalil. The magic that Khalil has shown is, by and large, behind the scenes. Fans have got some taste of what he can do, but most of what he’s done has been behind the scenes in a practice setting or a controlled scrimmage setting, and he’s done some fun things. Now, he has to take the next step and advance beyond those fun things and do the efficient things and not leave plays on the table or make mistakes because he does those things too.”

Scotty Fox

Sep 13, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. (15) celebrates after a touchdown during the third quarter against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

“Same with Scotty Fox. If I were to summarize what I see in Scotty Fox’s game… I’ve always been wowed by him since I first saw his high school tape. He’s big, he’s physical, he’s deceptively strong. I think that serves him well in the run game. He’s not as twitchy, obviously, as Khalil, but he’s a formidable runner. What strikes me about Scotty Fox is for his age, he’s a very aggressive passer. Very aggressive. And I don’t mean by the two turnovers he had in the Pitt game. I’m talking about plays that he has made in practice, forcing the football into tight windows downfield that normally, freshmen don’t have the courage to even throw. A guy that’s not afraid to push the envelope.”

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