Nicco Marchiol the Heir Apparent at Quarterback? | WVU Football All 105

All 105 is a West Virginia Sports Now series profiling each member of the 2025 WVU Football Roster.

Unless a game turns into a blowout or the starter goes down with an injury, backup quarterbacks typically get little to no playing time. Redshirt junior Nicco Marchiol, a 6-foot-2, 235 pound dual threat lefty, has appeared in 20 games (three starts) during his career with the WVU football program, however, as a result of injuries to former starter Garrett Greene.

His signature moment was a 2023 Backyard Brawl win over the rival Pitt Panthers, a game he entered in relief of Greene, but Marchiol has struggled with consistency during his time on the field. The Mountaineers brought in transfer quarterback Jaylen Henderson to compete with Marchiol during the offseason, and head coach Rich Rodriguez has even dangled the idea of using both quarterbacks in some sort of rotation in 2025.

8 • Nicco Marchiol, redshirt junior quarterback

Last year: Marchiol appeared in eight games, leading the Mountaineers to a win in both of his starts.

Stats: 742 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions on 71-of-121 passing in his college career. 84 carries for 285 yards and three rushing touchdowns.

Camp outlook: Marchiol and transfer quarterback Jaylen Henderson emerged as the two front runners in the Mountaineers’ quarterback room during the spring practice period, with head coach Rich Rodriguez even toying with the idea of using multiple quarterbacks at once.

WVSN photo by Kelsie LeRose

Projected role: Marchiol looks like the favorite to start in 2025, but don’t rule out an unorthodox approach at quarterback for the Mountaineers.

Accolades, highlights: A four-star recruit in high school, Marchiol came off the bench to lead the Mountaineers to a Backyard Brawl win over the rival Pitt Panthers as a redshirt freshman in 2023.

Coverage Links:

Watch: President-Elect Donald Trump Posts About WVU QB Nicco Marchiol

West Virginia Gets Job Done, Imposes Will on Pitt to Win Backyard Brawl

Rich Rodriguez Inching Closer to Letting Reps Signify WVU’s QB Depth Chart

How Does Rich Rodriguez Feel About Idea of Multi-QB System at WVU?