Will Grier is a top five CFB player, according to ESPN

Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year. Davey O’Brien Award watch list. Manning Award watch list. Maxwell Award watch list. Potential Big 12 Champion. College Football Playoff Sleeper. Heisman Trophy Contender.

What do all of those have in common? They’re central to the buzz surrounding West Virginia senior quarterback Will Grier.

Grier can add yet another accolade to that list, as of this week. ESPN released its top 50 players in college football this morning, and the Mountaineer quarterback checked in at No. 3. Grier is the highest ranked quarterback on the list and sits only behind Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver and Stanford tailback Bryce Love.

There hasn’t been this much talk surrounding a quarterback at West Virginia since Geno Smith’s senior season. Unlike Smith, Grier has the benefit of plenty of experienced players sprinkled throughout the roster.

Don’t take our word for it. Coach Holgorsen addressed the media yesterday, citing that this year’s team is “more mature, older and light years ahead of any other team” he’s had at West Virginia.

Grier will lead this older, mature group on Sept. 1 versus Tennessee in Charlotte.