Oct 19, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Nicco Marchiol (8) throws for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Kansas State Wildcats at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images Ben Queen-Imagn Images

West Virginia, Pitt Share Same Tier in ESPN's QB Room Rankings for 2025 Season

Originally posted on West Virginia Mountaineers on SI
By Schuyler Callihan | Last updated May 19, 2025 11:36 AM ET

A starter has not been named in Morgantown yet, but the starting quarterback race appears to be between Nicco Marchiol and Texas A&M transfer Jaylen Henderson. With a strong camp, perhaps Charlotte transfer Max Brown can work his way into the conversation.

Despite the question marks at quarterback heading into the season, this has the look of the deepest quarterback room West Virginia has had in quite some time. They have three guys who have experience at the Power Four level. Brown began his career at Florida and made a start against Florida State before moving on to Charlotte.

How good is the room as a whole?

ESPN college football analyst David Hale put West Virginia's QB room in Tier 11 (of 20) in his recent rankings, evaluating each QB situation heading into the 2025 season. Pitt and Oregon State were also featured in this tier.

"(Eli) Holstein, (Nicco) Marchiol, and (Maalik) Murphy, who were all solid recruits, have shown flashes of brilliance but have left fans wanting more. But if they can build off the foundation from 2024 and blossom this season, there's a chance they could become genuine stars."

I haven't agreed with much from the folks at ESPN this offseason, but this is one I do believe to be fairly accurate.

Even if Marchiol wins the job, he still has a lot to prove. He wasn't asked to do much in the Backyard Brawl two years ago, nor in his first start the following week against Texas Tech. Last season, he struggled in relief against Kansas State, had a sharp outing against Arizona, and an okay day against Cincinnati, where he only threw it 15 times.

The potential is there, we just haven't seen enough of it yet to really understand what his ceiling is as a Power Four starter.