Did Rich Rodriguez Tip His Hand About WVU’s Starting QB?

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – As Nicco Marchiol remains out of action, WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez is once again faced with the decision about who start at quarterback. And on Tuesday, it appears he may have tipped his hand some in terms of who will get the next opportunity to lead the Mountaineers moving forward.

After starting veteran Jaylen Henderson against Utah, it now appears as if Rodriguez will look to a younger option as West Virginia attempts to upset BYU.

Rodriguez said both Henderson and Max Brown are currently “limited” early in the week. He did not elaborate on what ailments that are dealing with, but did add they will “likely” be good to go for Saturday.

But Rodriguez, who admitted Henderson failed to provide the spark they were looking for against Utah – he completed just three passes for 22 yards and only ran for 28 more, then proceeded to rave about what he saw from freshman Khalil Wilkins.

“Khalil can make all the throws and obviously he’s a dynamic runner. He’s got some explosive ability. I think his future, his upside looks really good,” said Rodriguez when asked to evaluate Wilkins’ play. Rodriguez also added that Wilkins is “explosive” and has a tremendous upside.

To this point, WV Sports Now expects Wilkins to get the start at BYU.

It's still early in the week, but based on what Rich Rodriguez has been saying and what I've been hearing I expect Khalil Wilkins to start for WVU at BYU.

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) September 30, 2025

As for Marchiol’s status moving forward, don’t expect to see him back in a West Virginia uniform any time soon.

Marchiol will remain out this week, and he will likely be out for at least a couple weeks. Rodriguez said Marchiol has seen multiple doctors about his injured foot, first in Colorado and then in Arizona, where he’s currently staying to be close to his family.

“He called me yesterday. He’s out in Arizona, I believe. He’s seeing some doctors out there, and he told me that the one or two doctors that he talked to said that he had a foot problem and that he’s going to be out for several weeks. What I told him is we’ve got great doctors and trainers, so I want our doctors and trainers to communicate with his doctors so they get on the same page and know exactly what it is. He’s definitely out in the short-term, and then once their doctors talk to our doctors and trainers, we can figure out how long it’s going to be, I guess,” said Rodriguez on Monday.

Marchiol last played for WVU in their 41-10 loss at Kansas. He then disclosed a foot injury to Rodriguez and his staff after the game.

A week after being crowned West Virginia’s hero for leading the Mountaineers to a comeback win over Pitt, Marchiol was only 15-of-27 for 127 yards as WVU struggled to find a rhythm on offense throughout most of the game in Lawrence. He also threw a pick and ran for -4 yards on six attempts on the ground.

West Virginia and BYU are set to kickoff from Provo, Utah at 10:30 pm ET. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

For a related story, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake discussed his respect for Rich Rodriguez and why he won’t underestimate West Virginia.