WVU QB Jaylen Henderson Shows Glimpse of What He’s Been Working on Since Spring Ball

With his first season as a Mountaineer months away, WVU quarterback Jaylen Henderson is showing fans a glimpse of what he’s been working on since the end of spring ball.

On Monday, Henderson posted a series of videos that show his footwork while dropping back before a throw. Henderson captioned his videos “season right around the corner!” and added the “Hail WV” and “Hard Edge” hashtags.

Season Right Around The Corner!! #HailWV #HardEdge pic.twitter.com/TeKQtthb1H

— Jaylen (Jmoney) Henderson (@_Jmoney13_) May 19, 2025

Henderson is believed to be in a competition with Nicco Marchiol for the starting position. And while WVU fans have seen Marchiol in games, Henderson is more of an unknown and endured a rocky showing in the Spring Showcase.

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

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.

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.

WVSN photo by Kelsie LeRose

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.

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.

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.

For a related story, ESPN’s Pete Thamel tipped Pat McAfee off on WVU’s quarterback competition.

Find more coverage of Jaylen Henderson at WV Sports Now.