Neal Brown Emphasizes Greene Needs to be Fully Healthy to Play, Compliments Marchiol

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – As WVU fans continue to debate which quarterback should start, head coach Neal Brown offered more insight about where his head is on the situation.

During his weekly press conference on Monday afternoon, Brown clarified Garrett Greene’s progression last week. Brown said Greene did not show that much improvement from a health perspective between Wednesday and before the game on Saturday.

But as Brown mentioned after the win over Texas Tech, Greene was dressed as an emergency option. Greene would have played if starter Nicco Marchiol went down or had to leave the game for any reason. Brown felt Greene could protect himself enough to go in if absolutely necessary.

Brown then jumped right to the question everyone is wondering. Will Greene return to the starting role if healthy since the team has been winning with Marchiol under center? Brown didn’t fully answer definitively, but did say that Greene needs to get healthy first and he won’t play unless he can be at his best as an athlete.

WVU HC Neal Brown Noncommittal on Starting QB Moving Forward

This certainly sounds as if Greene will be a game-time decision once again. It also suggests the Mountaineers do not feel any sense of urgency to rush Greene back before he’s ready. Despite Marchiol throwing under 100 yards passing in both the Pitt and Texas Tech games, the fact West Virginia sits at 3-1 provides Brown enough of a comfort to continue with Marchiol.

And as far as how Marchiol has actually played, Brown believes he’s made a “considerable jump” over the past two weeks. He then added “we gotta do better around him” to that, hinting that Brown feel the offensive struggles are more of a collective issue than just on the quarterback.

WVU HC Neal Brown says Nicco Marchiol made a “considerable jump” from Pitt game to Texas Tech. “We gotta do a better job around him.”

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) September 25, 2023

It’s also worth noting that Marchiol did produce 72 yards on the ground on Saturday, so has shown an ability to be a dual-threat himself. It will remain to be seen if Brown opens up the playbook for Marchiol if he remains the guy. To this point, Brown has been honest about reducing the playbook heavily for Marchiol compared to what he has at his disposal with Greene.

After three straight home wins, West Virginia is back on the road this Saturday night against TCU. The Mountaineers and Horned Frogs will kickoff at 8 pm ET from Fort Worth, Texas. TCU is considered a heavy favorite in the game.

Vote in our poll below about which quarterback you want to see out there if both are healthy.

Poll: Should Garrett Greene Return to Starting QB Role if Healthy?