West Virginia

Rodriguez feels good about current state of West Virginia QB room

Published

1 year ago

February 20, 2025

Rodriguez feels good about current state of West Virginia QB room

West Virginia has experienced a lot of change with head coach Rich Rodriguez taking over the football program with both the coaching staff and the roster.

But one area that the veteran head coach is confident heading into the first spring of his second tenure atop the program is at the quarterback spot.

There is no returning starter, but the Mountaineers do have players that have experience both at West Virginia and other places as well as some talented young options on the roster.

Redshirt junior Nicco Marchiol has completed 71-122 passes with 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions during his time on the field. He’s also rushed for 285 yards and 3 scores.

Last season in his two starts against Arizona and Cincinnati, Marchiol completed 27-37 passes for 354 yards with 3 touchdowns and one interception. Most importantly the Mountaineers won both of those games with him filling in as the quarterback for an injured Garrett Greene.

“I thought Nicco in his opportunities played really, really well. I think it was the Arizona game and maybe Cincinnati but I thought he played really well,” Rodriguez said. “Had a great command about him. Been really pleased that he’s coming back and I think we’ve got some good competition in that room.”

On top of Marchiol, West Virginia also added a pair of transfer quarterbacks in Texas A&M signal caller Jaylen Henderson and Charlotte transfer Max Brown.

Henderson had previous stops at Fresno State and Texas A&M. Henderson did not appear in a game at quarterback in 2024 but played in five games in 2023 where he completed 53-78 passes for 715 yards with 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also rushed for 104 yards and 2 scores.

But over those four years, Henderson has played just 248 snaps.

Also an effective runner, Henderson had 91 yards on scrambles and 66 on designed runs. He also forced a total of four missed tackles showcasing his athleticism.

Brown, 6-foot-3, 230-pounds, played six games during his lone season with the 49ers where he completed 43-93 passes for 561 yards with 3 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. The Oklahoma native started his career at Florida where he redshirted during his first year and then completed 19-28 passes for 192 yards in 2023.

Brown has played a total of 313 snaps at the college level and like Henderson is a dual-threat option that is looking for the opportunity to prove himself in a new destination.

“Of all the rooms, Nicco has some experience and some of the other quarterbacks do at other schools but that’s probably one position we’re more comfortable with the talent that we have and those guys are willing to learn and run our system and all of that. I think we’re in good shape at the quarterback position with the guys that we’ve got,” Rodriguez said.

West Virginia also had some young talent on the roster in redshirt freshman Khalil Wilkins and true freshman Scotty Fox to add even more to the competition.

The scheme is one that Rodriguez refers to as “quarterback-centric,” as the Mountaineers are going to play with 11 at all times and while they don’t have to be blazing options running the ball they simply need to be willing. That is something he has seen to date.

“I think all our quarterbacks have competitive athleticism and that same kind of mental toughness so they’ll run what we need them to run. So we’ll play with 11. And whatever they do that’s best, whatever they are best at that’s probably what we’ll feature in our offense and in the spring it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch those guys compete,” Rodriguez said.

Now, the spring will be critical to sift through the options on the roster and see how they perform in live action situations in order to get a handle for how they can perform. That way Rodriguez and company will have a real handle on how things are developing.

But so far so good under center.

“Now Rhett (Rodriguez) and I are going to figure out a lot and get the guys a lot of opportunities but there’s some really good skill in that room and we’ve got some experience with Nicco and some of the other guys so I feel pretty good about the quarterback room right now,” he said.

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West Virginia

West Virginia Scoots Up in Top 25 Rankings After Taking Series From Kennesaw State

Published

2 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

West Virginia Scoots Up in Top 25 Rankings After Taking Series From Kennesaw State

Another successful weekend for the West Virginia Mountaineers results in another slight bump up in the top 25 rankings. WVU took two of three from Kennesaw State on the road, allowing them to slide up to No. 23 in D1Baseball’s new batch of rankings.

D1Baseball’s Top 25 for Week 3

1. UCLA
2. LSU
3. Texas
4. Mississippi State
5. Georgia Tech
6. Arkansas
7. Auburn
8. North Carolina
9. Florida
10. Southern Miss
11. Georgia
12. Oklahoma
13. NC State
14. Clemson
15. Wake Forest
16. Coastal Carolina
17. TCU
18. Oregon State
19. Tennessee
20. Florida State
21. Kentucky
22. Texas A&M
23. West Virginia
24. Miami
25. UTSA

Missed opportunity

West Virginia had a 6-0 lead in game three of its series against Kennesaw State, looking well on their way to a clean three-game sweep of the Owls.

Unfortunately for Steve Sabins, the bullpen imploded following another strong five-inning outing from the big lefty Maxx Yehl. Bryson Thacker, Carson Estridge, and David Perez combined to give up four runs on five hits over the final three innings, allowing the Owls to steal Sunday’s game.

The loss frustrated West Virginia fans and rightfully so, but there’s no need to panic. The name of the game is to continue winning the series. You do that, you’ll find yourself in a position to make the NCAA Tournament and earn a high seed. Obviously, you don’t want to blow the opportunity of a sweep, especially when you’re up 6-0, but it’s not a loss that is going to ruin their resume. Losing the series, on the other hand, would have.

What’s next for the Mountaineers?

No single mid-week game this week for West Virginia. Instead, they’ll play a quick two-game series against Radford at home beginning Tuesday. They’ll get one day of rest before opening up a three-game series at home against Columbia, which will be the final series of non-conference play. WVU will have a single mid-week game against Maryland on Tuesday, March 10th, before beginning Big 12 action on the road against Baylor.

The full remaining schedule

Mar. 2-4 Radford

Mar. 6-8 Columbia

Mar 10 Maryland

Mar 13-15 at Baylor

Mar. 17 Penn State

Mar. 29-21 BYU

Mar. 24 at Marshall

Mar. 27-29 at Arizona State

Mar. 31 at Arizona

Apr. 3-5 UCF

Apr. 7 Marshall

Apr. 10-12 at Texas Tech

Apr. 15 at Penn State

Apr. 17-19 Houston

Apr. 21 Pitt

Apr. 24-26 at Cincinnati

Apr. 29 at Penn State

May 1-3 Kansas State

May 5 Marshall (Charleston, WV)

May 8-10 at Kansas

May 14-16 TCU

May 20-23 Big 12 Championship (Surprise, AZ)

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West Virginia

West Virginia Surrenders Six-Run Lead, Falls in Series Finale to Kennesaw State

Published

14 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

West Virginia Surrenders Six-Run Lead, Falls in Series Finale to Kennesaw State

West Virgnia built a six-run lead through five and half innings, but the Kennesaw State Owls (5-5) scored seven unanswered runs in three frames to knock off the Mountaineers (8-2) Sunday afternoon 7-6.

West Virginia captured an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first after sophomore Matt Ineich hit a leadoff single before sophomore Gavin Kelly and senior Paul Schoenfeld were issued walks to load the bases with two outs on the board. Then, redshirt freshman Ryan Maggy line a two-RBI single to centerfield in his first career start.

The Mountaineers extended their lead in the second when Kelly hit a three went opposite field for a three-run home run, his first of the season, for a 5-0 advantage.

West Virginia starting southpaw pitcher Maxx Yehl threw five scoreless innings. The redshirt junior recorded four strikeouts on the day and limited the Owls to four hits.

Kelly added a run in the sixth, clearing the centerfield wall for his second home run of the afternoon and a 6-0 WVU lead.

Redshirt sophomore Bryson Thacker took the mound in the six. After a high and wide throw on a ground ball, a walk, and with two outs, junior Cooper Williams drooped an RBI single in right field to put the Owls on the board. Then, a pitch in the dirt rolled to the backstop to add another run, closing the gap to four, 6-2.

Carson Estridge was handed the ball in the seventh. The senior right-hander gave up a leadoff double before registering the next two outs, including a strikeout, before freshman McCollum line an RBI single just out of the reach of the glove of Kelly. Senior Jackson Chirello cut the deficit one, hammering the 3-1 pitch well over the right field wall and into the Waffle House parking lot for a two-run home run.

West Virginia head coach Steve Sabins turned to the clubhouse leader in saves David Perez to get the Mountaineers out of the inning. The freshman returned to the mound in the eighth. Senior Jamarie Brooks reached after hitting a sharp ground ball over to first that went between the legs of senior Ben Lumsden. Then, Williams blasted a two-run home run and a 7-6 Owls lead.

In the ninth, senior Matthew Graveline nearly tied the game with the swing of the bat, driving 0-2 pitch off the top of the left field wall for a one-out double to put the Mountaineers into scoring position. However, redshirt senior Harry Cain sat the last two Mountaineer hitters to collect his second win of the season as the Owls completed the comeback with the 7-6 decision.

West Virginia is back in action on Tuesday for the first of a two-game series against Radford. Game one and game two (Weds) are both scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and the all the action will stream on ESPN+.

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West Virginia

Delegate Larry Kump, master of various catch phrases, has died – WV MetroNews

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Delegate Larry Kump of Berkeley County has died, state officials announced. Kump was 78 years old.

Larry Kump

Kump, a Republican, served in the House from 2010 to 2014, again from 2018 to 2020 and finally 2022 to the present. He had announced plans to run again in the coming electoral cycle.

“As a battle-tested and liberty minded Christian and Constitutional Conservative, my consecrated action principles of good governance remains solid and steadfast,” he wrote to supporters in January.

He had been serving in the ongoing legislative session, but had been absent in recent weeks.

The daily prayer in the House of Delegates this past Wednesday included an expression of concern for Kump: “A special prayer for Delegate Larry Kump. Lord, you know where he is in the hospital now, and I pray right now that you would send your angels there to touch him, to be with him.”

Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Kump’s death on social media, calling Kump “a devoted public servant who dedicated many years of his life to improving West Virginia.

“Delegate Kump served with a deep commitment to the principles he believed would strengthen our communities and protect our freedoms.

“On behalf of the First Lady and myself, we extend our condolences to Larry’s family, friends, former colleagues, and all those who had the privilege of knowing and serving alongside him. His legacy of service and his love for our state will never be forgotten.”

Secretary of State Kris Warner also posted condolences to Kump’s family. “Larry was a conservative Christian and a true Mountaineer! He will be sadly missed by his friends and colleagues,” Warner posted.

The West Virginia Democratic Party also put out a statement to offer condolences, saying Kump’s work reflected a lifelong commitment to accountability, public policy, and the effective administration of government.

“Delegate Larry Kump devoted his life to his family, his community, and to his state. He brought experience, independence and thoughtfulness to his role, and he never lost sight of the people he served,” said Mike Pushkin, the Democratic Party chairman who is also a delegate from Kanawha County.

Kump was known for his turns of phrase, for example kicking off his comments on the House floor with “Great googly moogly” for emphasis. He often described his adoration for his “beloved and bodacious wife Cheryl.”

He regularly concluded interactions and written communications this way: “Meanwhile, and for sure and for certain, may God bless you all real good!”

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