West Virginia football has a new quarterback. Will Grier will be asked to carry the Mountaineers over the hump in 2017. Can he do it?
On October 3, 2015 Will Grier shocked the college football world.
In the fifth start of his career, Grier led No. 25 Florida to a stunning 38-10 trouncing of No. 3 Ole Miss in front of a raucous crowd in Gainesville, Florida. He threw for four touchdowns that day, all of them coming in the first half before the Rebels had managed as much as a single point.
That could have been the moment when a star was born. The Gators were then 5-0 and looked to be contenders in the SEC East. Florida would go on to win one more game (against Missouri). Then the program and Grier were thrown an unexpected curveball. Grier was suspended for the remainder of the season.
Jim McElwain was without a quarterback and Grier had no answers. “I took an over-the-counter supplement that had something in it,” Grier said at the time, “And I did not check with the medical staff”. When things had quieted down, Grier rocked the boat once again by asking for permission to transfer from Florida.
McElwain was caught completely off guard
"We obviously thought he was coming back, that’s what we had a couple weeks ago. But in this case, that’s a choice. The one thing I’ll never do is make someone do something they don’t want to do. In life, sometimes change of scenery is good. In this case, he’s going to go have a successful career and go on to play in the NFL. We’ll help him in every way we can."
After not stepping on the field in 2016 due to NCAA transfer rules, Grier has reemerged at West Virginia. Will he be the difference maker that the Mountaineers need to rise to the top of the Big 12? Let’s explore the possibilities.