Neal Brown Points to Decision Making as Possible Factor in WVU’s QB Competition

It’s not the only question surrounding this WVU football team before the 2023 season kicks off, but the quarterback battle is definitely the one that matters the most to head coach Neal Brown.

If the Mountaineers pick the wrong starting quarterback, nothing else will be able to make up for that mistake. But the fact that it’s so important is exactly why Brown is taking his time deciding between Garrett Greene and Nicco Marchiol.

Recently, Brown started offering a glimpse into his mind about his thoughts on each quarterback. Since it had been a couple weeks since his last update, Brown once again explained what he likes from Greene and Marchiol and what each needs to work on during his last press conference before the Spring game.

Brown’s tune was different one one key way this time around. He sounded more critical of Greene and more complimentary of Marchiol.

Neal Brown Evaluates Battling WVU QBs Garrett Greene and Nicco Marchiol

So for Greene, the more experienced of the two, Brown mentioned that he’s shown the explosiveness as a runner WVU fans saw once he took over for JT Daniels last season. According to Brown, Greene also has been throwing the deep ball well, something that he wanted the junior to perfect this offseason. However, Brown was a bit more critical of Greene this time as compared to how he spoke about him just two weeks earlier.

“He had three explosive runs, on probably 60+ yards. Threw the deep ball really well today. Made some mistakes on 3rd down,” said Brown about Greene. He made a point to say, that while his mistakes are not surprising for a young player who has still only played a handful of games at the college level, they can’t keep happening or could really hurt the team.

That was assessment may leave some to wonder if Marchiol is now the frontrunner to win the starting position. While that would just be an assumption and it’s still likely Greene gets the nod for Week 1 against Penn State if they’re even, it speaks to how there may not be much room for error since Brown is well aware his job is on the line as well.

When discussing Marchiol, Brown mostly kept it positive. “Had two nice drives. Converted multiple 3rd downs. He made the simple decisions. He made good decisions,” he said. With both players possessing an athlete ability to be mobile and be a dual-threat option under center for an offense focused on a ground attack, the quarterback battle may simply come down to which one makes better decisions.

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If Brown wants to play it safe and minimize risks, Marchiol may jump to the top of the depth chart in only his true sophomore season. Conversely, if Brown falls in love with the big play potential of Greene, he may call his number in State College.

Watch Brown’s full press conference from April 15 below.