The 2025 college football season will feature plenty of fresh looks. Is Stanford visiting Syracuse in a … conference matchup? Is West Virginia traveling to Arizona in late October? Fortunately for the Mountaineers, plenty of faces on the roster look familiar. Kicking off our Fall camp coverage, we take a look at the Mountaineers’ quarterbacks for the 2024 season where returning starter Garrett Greene leads a confident quarterback room. Head coach Neal Brown made players available to the media in an open session late last week during training camp.
Greene Leads a Confident Quarterback Room
Heading into the 2023 season, national media tagged Greene as the worst starter among all Power Five quarterbacks. Greene had not carried the load as an everyday starter. While seasoning the large chip on his shoulder, Greene was learning how to approach his new role professionally. This season, he understands the role. Instead, Greene focuses on the team’s goal of winning a Big 12 championship. Indeed, when asked if he had any personal goals this season, he responded quickly, “If I do my job at a high enough level,” the Mountaineers will win the conference. Greene may have just as many doubters among national pundits, but, this year, those voices offer noise and little more.
Greene has the pro “stuff” down. This Summer, he focused his work on the simple things impacting his mechanics, primarily foot alignment. How much the little things will matter remains to be seen. Head Coach Neal Brown, however, sees a much different version of Greene emerging this year. Brown thinks Greene can finish the season with a completion percentage in the mid-60s. If Greene does that, the sky is the limit. Last season, Greene completed just 53% of his passes, but still finished in the upper half of the conference in yards per attempt. Greene ranked among the best in all of college football in long passes. He struggled, however, throwing short and intermediate balls.
One thing Greene will rely on is his targets. They are different now. Kole Taylor returns as a top target, and he stands at six feet seven inches. Greg Genross joins the tight end room at six feet six inches. Incoming transfers Justin Robinson and Jaden Bray also add much-needed height to the receiver room. Robinson offers a six-foot-four-inch target. Bray stands at six feet two inches. That height makes a difference, just ask Greene. The larger catch radius they offer “means I don’t have to be perfect.” Indeed, the added height alone may add a few points to Greene’s completion percentage.
Fresh Faces in the Room
Though Greene and his backup Nicco Marchiol return, the Mountaineers still offer a few fresh faces to the room. Ryder Burton transferred to Morgantown from BYU. Fans may not see much of Burton this season, but Brown believes his impact to be substantial. Indeed, Brown believes having Greene and Marchiol is a luxury, as “both have developed into quality leaders, and both can go win games.” That Marchiol opted against transferring to a more immediate starting gig should pay off for the Mountaineers. Burton’s addition may be a surprise since he joins a crowded room with no immediate path to playing. That said, according to Brown, his addition gives the staff more comfort to open up the full playbook to Marchiol. “[Nicco] hasn’t been able to play to his full capabilities because we haven’t been able to run him and now, we can run him because we have more depth.” For now, Burton offers an insurance policy for that luxury.
The Mountaineers also welcome freshman Khalil Wilkins. He may not be called to any action this season. That said, the added development time certainly helps his long-term outlook.
Keeping Fingers on the Pulse
The offense, if it looks like it did last season, will feature a run-heavy look. That said, Greene and company stand ready to deliver in the passing game (and the running game) when their numbers are called. That professional swagger Greene has should pay off quickly. According to Brown, the offense is a “group with good leadership, so they did a lot of work on their own in the Summer.” According to Greene, the offense “got stronger, [is] in better condition and it’s been great to get out there and run around with the boys.” All Summer we heard from Coach Brown that this has been his favorite group to coach since arriving in Morgantown because of the camaraderie. With leaders like Greene, it’s easy to see why. One thing is clear, though, for this 2024 season, Greene leads a confident quarterback room. In the new look Big 12, they will need the added swagger.
