WVU QB Jaylen Henderson Expected to Start Against Utah

To confirm what WV Sports Now has been expressing all week, WVU quarterback Jaylen Henderson is expected to start against Utah on Saturday. ESPN’s Pete Thamel added his own report with the news on Friday night.

Ending any remaining speculation, Nicco Marchiol was officially ruled out on Thursday.

All this does is confirm what I’ve been saying and writing all week – Jaylen Henderson is expected to start for WVU. The hope for WVU fans has to be that he fits Rich Rodriguez’s offense more than Nicco Narchiol has. Marchiol is best as a passer. Henderson is the better runner. https://t.co/Kr2pKUPlUj

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) September 27, 2025

During his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Rodriguez said Marchiol informed the coaching staff about pain in his foot and that has resulted in him getting tested and evaluated away from the team in Colorado.

Timing wise, Marchiol’s injury comes also on the heels of his rough outing in WVU’s 41-10 loss at Kansas.

A week after being crowned West Virginia’s hero for leading the Mountaineers to a comeback win over Pitt, Marchiol was only 15-of-27 for 127 yards as WVU struggled to find a rhythm on offense throughout most of the game in Lawrence. He also threw a pick and ran for -4 yards on six attempts on the ground.

Some could argue the offensive line failed to protect and the play calling didn’t seem to cater to his skillset, what happened when Marchiol was replaced by Henderson put his status as West Virginia’s QB1 in question even before his injury was disclosed.

Henderson, who entered the game in the third quarter with the outcome decided, provided the spark WVU fans thought would never come. Henderson led the Mountaineers on their only touchdown drive, accounting for 95 yards when out there. He also showed more of an ability to run Rich Rodriguez’s spread offense by running for an average of 11.3 yards per touch on seven carries.

Henderson, a former top recruit out of high school and a transfer from Texas A&M, ran for 79 yards, including a 32-yard burst up the middle through a Kansas defense that had previously shut down big plays.

Henderson has a total of 118 rushing yards so far on the year.

The Mountaineers and Utes will kickoff from Milan Puskar Stadium at 3:30 pm ET on Saturday.