What Did Pete Thamel Tell Pat McAfee About WVU’s QB Battle?

It’s not uncommon for Pete Thamel to appear on the Pat McAfee Show, but Friday marked interesting timing since Thamel was coming off his own talk with WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez. But Thamel’s recent interview with Rodriguez on ESPN’s College GameDay podcast led to him actually being the one to bring up West Virginia to McAfee.

After referencing his talk with Rodriguez, McAfee then took it upon himself to ask the national college football insider what he thinks of the Mountaineers.

“There’s been big turnover at West Virginia for Rich Rod,” said Thamel, which is far from news for anyone who has been paying attention. Thamel then brought up a particular player unprompted, causing McAfee to wonder if that was some actual news.

"There's been big turnover at West Virginia for Rich Rod..

I think Nicco Marchiol is a very good player"@PeteThamel #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/OCHMqeeMVc

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 9, 2025

“I think Nicco Marchiol is a very good player,” mentioned Thamel. However, when McAfee pressed him and asked if he was suggesting Rodriguez told him Marchiol will be the starter, Thamel backpedaled and said that’s not the case and he was simply going off Marchiol being the incumbent and having stated games at West Virginia in the past.

Thamel even literally responded with a “no” when asked if he knew any information that’s not known to the public about who will be under center when WVU kicks off the 2025 season. Marchiol is in a competition with transfer Jaylen Henderson.

Early in spring, Rodriguez was asked for a timeline to name his QB1. His response was offered with levity, but had some truth in it as well.

“When’s the first game,” Rodriguez asked jokingly. “Do we have a game time yet?”

Then after being told the date, he kept having more fun with his answer.

“Okay, well if the game is at 1, [you’ll know at] 12:59. We’ll know before then…to determine the starter, someone may separate themselves before the end of the spring, but they may not,” he said.

Asti: Rich Rodriguez is Playing Chess, Not Checkers with WVU QB Position

While Marchiol has shown promise and has won – he’s 4-0 as a starter in college – and some believe it’s now his turn, there are reasons to wonder if he’s the right guy to lead Rodriguez’s offense. Despite winning and even impressing at times during practices, Marchiol has mostly struggled in games.

He did play lights out at Arizona with the pressure of a homecoming environment, but he’s been otherwise inconsistent aside from that game. His last start in Cincinnati saw him only throw for 156 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also only completed 46.2%  of his passes for 58 yards after replacing Garrett Greene in the second half against Kansas State the week prior.

Dating back to 2023, Marchiol posted a quarterback rating of just 21.0 and only managed 60 passing yards in relief of Greene despite winning the last Backyard Brawl in Morgantown.

As a runner, and being a dual-threat is obviously a necessity in a Rodriguez-led offense, Marchiol has 285 yards on 84 carries for an average of 3.4 yards per touch in his three years as a Mountaineer. A good, but not great showing on the ground.

Henderson (6-foot-3, 220 pounds), who committed to transfer to WVU on Jan. 4, screams a Rodriguez-type quarterback. He has the size, mobility, speed and arm strength to generate big plays, both on the ground and through the air.

With that said, he’s still an unknown. Henderson is coming off a lost season in 2024 and hasn’t appeared in a game at all since Dec. 27, 2023. His recent injury and lost year is part of what made him available to West Virginia in the first place.

WVSN photo by Kelsie LeRose

When on the field, he’s shown flashes of being an elite athlete who can flourish if given an opportunity and if placed in the right situation. It’s possible Rodriguez’s system would be the opportunity and situation he needs to reach his potential.

Based on what took place during spring practice, Marchiol does appear to be ahead in the quarterback battle and is WV Sports Now’s presumed starter at this point.

Henderson looked rusty – he’s coming off missing the 2024 season with an injury – throughout the spring and Marchiol did receive a financial bump NIL wise as part of his incentive to stay after the coaching transition from Neal Brown to Rodriguez.

For a related story, Rich Rodriguez made a pitch for College GameDay to come to Morgantown for the 2025 Backyard Brawl.

Also, WV Sports Now offers a complete breakdown of the WVU football 2025 schedule.