Grier has high expectations, can he handle the pressure?

The pressure is on for West Virginia’s new quarterback, Will Grier. He’s being hailed as the savior of the Mountaineers’ title hopes and a dark horse for the coveted Heisman Trophy.

Yes, Will Grier is expected to be and do a lot of things in 2017, but he hasn’t played a snap in nearly two years. The pressure applied from a West Virginia fan base starved for its first elite quarterback since Geno Smith would seem to be unbearable, but for Grier, it’s just another day as a starting quarterback. Rewind back to 2015 when Grier found himself as the starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman for a resurgent Florida Gators squad. Grier shrugged off the pressure of being an SEC signal caller by passing for over 1200-yards and 10 touchdowns through six games. Or think back to when Grier was suspended for a full year by the NCAA due to a banned substance and was consequently forced to transfer from Florida.

Pressure is a way of life for the once 5-star recruit. Instantly, Grier became an upgrade over former West Virginia QB Skyler Howard.  Howard was no bum despite what many had to say about him during his time in Morgantown. But let Howard’s attitude towards the Mountaineers fan base serve as a warning – there is NO such thing as a perfect quarterback. Grier had a phenomenal six games at Florida, but it was only six games. He’s been out for over a full year, so there will be rust. There will also be phenomenal plays. The biggest thing, though, is not to insult him or get angry after a bad play, a interception, a fumble or a mistake. Its going to happen. It can happen to anyone and it can and certainly will happen to Will Grier. But with those mistakes comes lessons. Those lessons will prove to be imperative to a quarterback trying to make his way.

The pressure is real. The expectations are also real.

The question is – can he handle it?