Shanna Rose I WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After three seasons of development and patience, redshirt junior quarterback Nicco Marchiol is poised to step into the spotlight for West Virginia University. As the Mountaineers enter a new era under head coach Rich Rodriguez, Marchiol finds himself in a battle for the starting quarterback role within an entirely new offensive system.
“Any change is scary at first,” he said. “So, but I mean, this offense, I feel fits me so well. And we have so many pieces that go with this offense so well, just the right number of vets coming back, you know, Bowie (Jarod Bowie) and Cam Vaughn and guys who know this system, you know, really help it move like a well-oiled machine. But no, I really enjoy playing in this offense. Feel like I’m getting a better grasp of it every day. Every day we go out there, you know, that’s what camp’s for.”
One of the biggest adjustments for Marchiol has been mastering the tempo of Rodriguez’s system. However, he hasn’t had to navigate the transition alone. Helping lead the charge is former WVU star and assistant coach Pat White, who thrived in Rodriguez’s offense during his historic Mountaineer career.
Under Rodriguez, White was one of the greatest WVU quarterbacks. He set the Big East records in touchdowns responsible for (103), total offense (10,529) and became the first player in Big East history to pass for more than 10,000 yards. He posted a 7-2 record against Top 25 opponents during his career.
“He not only played in this system, but he played here, and he’s in our shoes,” Marchiol said. “He was here not so long ago, and the wisdom he has is incomparable. Very, very grateful to have him. And then along with Coach Rhett, someone who all he’s known for football is Coach Rodriguez’s offense. So just a great blessing to have both of them.”
While White was known for his electric running ability, Marchiol believes he can also be a threat on the ground.
“When I have my chance to run, I’m going to get every piece of yardage that I can get and then sprint back to the ball and I’m going to run the next play,” he said. “If it’s another quarterback run, then I’m going to run just as hard as I did the last play.”
The Chandler, Arizona native has the most experience in WVU’s quarterback room and that is something he finds beneficial.
“I think experience is the best way to have confidence in anything you do,” he said. “So with the games that I have played in and the experience I do have in college football, it’s something I can always go back to and think back on and have something to compare to. Some form when I had success, you remember those moments. And the ones that you didn’t do so well on, you learn from them. You spent, I guess, the early part of your college career learning how to play one way.”
Last season Marchiol started two games for the Mountaineers and saw playing time in a total of eight. Despite the changes under Rodriguez’s offense, the playing time that the Hamilton High School alum saw has made the transition easier.
“I think some things like footwork, I think that really can carry over,” he said. “That was something that we honed in on. My whole career was just having precise drops and precise footwork. And then the things like mechanics, you always try to keep your mechanics consistent. And then defensive knowledge, I think that can play into both offenses where defense is defense. One high, two high, you gotta know what you’re looking at and know how to beat it.”
Even though Marchiol hasn’t been named the starting quarterback, the competition in the room is making him a better player and person.
“I think it’s kind of like a blessing in disguise having that because, just like you said, competition is going to make everyone better,” he said. “And if we have every single room competing, man, we got a good team then. It’s also nice because every time we’re hopping out there as quarterbacks, you’re going witha bunch of different receivers every time, different O-line. So you may think like, oh, you can’t get in the rhythm then. You don’t have your crew out there. But eventually, you’re going to get in the rhythm with everyone. And then everyone’s going to be on the same page. So I think it’s awesome. Yeah, I see the defense gets fired up just as much as the offense. And yeah, we’re going to be flying around tomorrow.”
Rodriguez’s return to Morgantown has also brought with it the revival of his signature “hard edge” culture—something Marchiol fully buys into.
“Everyone talks about having a culture and having, you know, you can have all these good buzzwords that sound really well, but it’s an entirely different thing to live it,” he said. And this team, I think really, really embodies hard edge. You know, we’re getting better at it every single week, but like I said, hard edge is not something that you do one day and don’t do another day. It’s something that you live by. And like Coach Rod says, once you learn it you never want to go back to your old lifestyle so I’m really really grateful to have mentors like we have here just enforcing rules that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.”
Photo Credit: Kelsie LeRose, WVSN
