West Virginia football does have Mountaineers in its name, but they’ll probably struggle with the sudden steep climb ahead. With Nicco Marchiol sidelined and setbacks hitting other quarterbacks in the room, Rich Rodriguez now faces a full-blown QB crisis. This also comes right before a clash with the dominating BYU in Week 6, causing more panic for WVU fans.

Nicco Marchiol is “out for the season,” On3 confirmed in its injury report ahead of Week 6. This comes after the QB was expected to medically redshirt because of a nagging foot injury. The QB is back home in Arizona, where he is now consulting with doctors. On3’s Pete Nakos also claimed that Marchiol is “expected” to hit the transfer portal. His departure has thrown Rich Rodriguez’s plans for the QB1 situation into the air.

Marchiol, with his limited experience so far at West Virginia, was still Rich Rodriguez’s best bet for the QB1 job. He helped the Mountaineers come back with a defining victory against Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl. But Marchiol hasn’t exactly been a star apart from this victory. The QB hauled in only 720 yards after 4 games, and only 2 scores and as many interceptions. The O-line bears the brunt of the blame, but Marchiol is partly responsible. WVU was okay with him in the lead. But without him? It’s proven to be a recipe for disaster.

Next up after Marchiol was Jaylen Henderson. However, he also ruled against BYU. That means freshman Khalil Wilkins is to get the green light from the HC. Henderson got benched in the Utah game, going 3-of-7 and passing for only 22 yards. Wilkins provided a small spark of hope in that blowout loss, adding a TD drive to bump up West Virginia’s score to 13. The rookie has at least delivered in a pressure situation, but he is still a rookie. Henderson is yet to meet the mark. These factors, and doubts in the rest of the QB room, are enough reasons for unease in Morgantown.

Rich Rodriguez needs help in the QB room, stat. Mountaineers alum and star Pat McAfee is directing the HC’s coach to a phenom from another program. But it’ll be very difficult to steal him away.

California GM confident of keeping lucrative WVU target at home

Pat McAfee is a big NIL donor for WVU. So, his choice of potential Mountaineers carries some serious thought. The QB room is practically calling out for help, and McAfee offered some in hyping California’s star as an option. Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele has been brilliant as a freshman QB, racking up 1,242 yards, 8 TDs, and 4 picks. After 5 games in the season, the elite QB is also the third-best true freshman QB, per Sports Illustrated. “It’s like, this guy is the one next season,” McAfee said on his show.

But Ron Rivera is sure Sagapolutele won’t be a Mountaineer anytime soon. He was asked recently if he’s confident that he’d be retaining the QB. “I am, I really am,” he said. When asked about the reason for his bullish outlook, he said, “This is the University of California.” But it all depends on Sagapolutele’s plans for his career. He’s already catching the attention of needy programs. And if he continues these trends till the end, he can even demand an NIL paycheck as high as “$4 million,” a P4 NIL program director told The Athletic.

Rich Rodriguez will have to continue with his unproven QB room for the rest of the season, now that Nicco Marchiol is out for good. He’ll have to hang on until the portal opens, and for good QBs to become available, to search for a prompt and reliable fix to this problem. Sadly, for him and McAfee, Ron Rivera will continue to keep Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele comfortable at California.