Rich Rodriguez Broke Down All Five WVU QBs and What He Said Might Surprise You

Originally posted on West Virginia Mountaineers on SI
By Schuyler Callihan | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 7:04 AM ET

The starting quarterback for West Virginia remains a mystery, but I'm starting to get the sense that the "starting" label will be used loosely this season. Head coach Rich Rodriguez has been repping five quarterbacks throughout the month of August and truly believes each of them has done enough to get a shot in game action.

During his coach's show at Kegler's on Monday, he ran through each of the five signal callers, providing some insight into what he has seen from them thus far. What he said about true freshman Scotty Fox Jr. will raise some eyebrows.

Nicco Marchiol

“Nicco has got the most experience. Him and Jaylen Henderson have the most experience and have played Power Four football, and you can see it. He has a feel for the game a little bit. He understands things quicker. He’s got good arm strength. He’s a bigger guy, but he’ll run. He’s a willing runner. He may not be fast, but he’s got some athletic ability.”

Jaylen Henderson

“Jaylen’s kind of the same way. He’s got some experience. He’s got some moxy about him. He can make all the throws, and he’s another good athlete that can run. He’s a willing runner. He’s still learning, but I’ve seen him get better and better and more comfortable.”

Max Brown

“Max Brown might be the best athlete of all of them, and he’s got some experience playing at Charlotte; was at Florida initially. Big, strong guy. Got tremendous arm strength. Still learning the system as well. He was set back a little bit. He was sick for a few days last week, but he’s a talented guy.”

Scotty Fox

“Scotty’s got one of the quickest releases of any quarterback I’ve ever had. He’s got a great release, great size, can run, and has really been impressive.”

Khalil Wilkins

“Khalil missed the first part of camp, still overcoming a shoulder injury, so that put him behind a little bit, but he’s the fastest of them — can really run. He’s a great young man, eager to learn. He’s really come on in the last couple of weeks as well.”