West Virginia quarterback Nicco Marchiol is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a foot injury and enter the transfer portal at the end of the year, according to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports.
Where could Marchiol continue his collegiate career? I've got a few places in mind. However, this is all speculation, of course, considering he can't be contacted by any school until he officially goes into the portal in December. This is just some way-too-early guesswork as to where he could potentially end up.
Marchiol was born in Colorado, but played his high school ball at Hamilton in Chandler, Arizona, where he went on to be named Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year following a stellar senior campaign. If Noah Fifita returns for his senior year in Tucson, then this is out of the mix. The way he's played so far this season shows he might be ready to leave for the next level next spring and be a mid-round selection. My guess is Fifita stays put, but if not, Arizona makes sense.
You may not have known, but Marchiol was once committed to Mike Norvell and the Seminoles. Tommy Castellanos is a senior, so they'll need to look in the portal to replace him unless they feel like Brock Glenn will finally be ready. The Noles could aim higher in the portal at QB and likely will, but still have to mention them as a possibility. To be honest, this is probably a long shot.
The Illini are rolling with Bret Bielema, but next offseason, they are going to have to replace Luke Altmyer. He already has a couple of former teammates there in the Clement brothers, so perhaps they could help pitch the program to him.
Bill Belichick is not having a great first season in Chapel Hill, and it's largely due to the offensive struggles they've had. Gio Lopez hasn't lived up to the billing to this point, so it's entirely possible they look to bring in a quarterback next offseason via the portal. That program is not in a great spot right now, so it's probably not the most attractive situation, but they have NFL coaching experience on that staff, in addition to Belichick, that could be appealing.
The Scarlet Knights were another one of the many schools that offered Marchiol out of high school. They were in his initial top four before committing to Florida State, but this time around, they may have a chance, if they want to go that route. That style of offense better aligns with what he can do.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!