It might have slipped under the radar to some, but West Virginia retained a key piece to the puzzle this off-season by retaining backup quarterback Nicco Marchiol.

Marchiol appeared in nine games this past season and completed 30-53 passes for 247 yards with a pair of touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Modest numbers, but his importance to the roster was magnified early in the year when starter Garrett Greene went down with an ankle injury.

Marchiol stepped in after the first series of the Pitt game and led the Mountaineers to a 17-6 win over the Panthers and then started the following week in a 20-13 win over Texas Tech. It wasn’t the flashiest of appearances, but Marchiol was able to do enough to secure some critical early wins.

The experience was invaluable for Marchiol whose understanding of the offense is a critical component if the Mountaineers need to call on the redshirt sophomore.

“I personally think if you’re not nervous, you don’t love what you’re doing. You have to have that fear of failure, that fear of letting those guys down around you,” Marchiol said

As a quarterback, Marchiol has high-end ability and can run the football in a physical style. He is good at delivering the ball between the hashes with velocity and throws a good deep ball despite the fact that didn’t necessarily manifest itself in the game when he was called upon. He was a highly regarded high school option who has continued to make improvements during his time on campus.

Related: Crafting the 2024 WVU offensive depth chart: Volume 1

In fact, Marchiol was highlighted by head coach Neal Brown as one of the players that made a significant jump in December with his play in the build-up to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

And with more time under his belt Marchiol should be in a better position to succeed if his number is called upon and gives the program a reliable option in that quarterback room if something does happen to Greene this coming season.

That obviously isn’t an ideal scenario for anybody associated with West Virginia football, but just having that assurance that a talented backup is waiting in the wings definitely should ease the minds of the coaching staff this off-season.

It’s almost unheard of in this new era for a player to choose development and less guaranteed playing time outside of an injury to the starter, but that’s what Marchiol has done. And regardless of what unfolds this current season, Marchiol should be in a great position to start the following year when Greene will exhaust his eligibility.

Ironically, it’s the same path that Greene took sitting behind others his first few seasons before inheriting the full-time starting job over his final two years.

Trying to not only build depth, but quality depth in the quarterback room is as difficult as it’s ever been given the fact that only one can play at a time but West Virginia should be in a good spot with Marchiol back for another year with the football program.