West Virginia Football: Will Grier’s health will determine Mountaineers’ Big 12 fate?
Aside from a solid result during the 2016 season, West Virginia football has the chance to have their best year by far since joining the Big 12, in 2018.
West Virginia football enters the 2018 regular season as one of the top contenders for the Big 12 Championship. There’s a good chance that the Mountaineers could find themselves in the Big 12 Championship Game, or in title position, for the first time since joining the conference in the first place. However, a few hurdles are in place for them to reach that point successfully.
The biggest obstacle for West Virginia to have the run anticipated with the given talent on the roster is the health of the best players. West Virginia does have a ton of talent across the board on the offensive side of the ball. However, no player is more important to the success of the Mountaineers than Heisman hopeful quarterback Will Grier.
A few other key places of the West Virginia offense for 2018 includes running back Kennedy McKoy, and a host of wide receivers like David Sills V, Gary Jennings, and Marcus Simms. The supporting cast will also be integral to Grier’s success.
But, Grier has to be on the field for all those weapons to have their abilities maximized. Sills V and Grier showed an especially special connection last year that allowed the breakout wide receiver to garner All-American honors.
Grier, himself, has the potential to be in the Heisman race for the entirety of the 2018 campaign. When he tossed 34 touchdowns, to just 12 interceptions, last year, Grier established himself as a potential top quarterback in the nation this year.
Few quarterbacks in the nation have the amount of hype entering the 2018 campaign than Grier. He does have the ability to toss 40 touchdowns, or more, this upcoming season. He might have done just that if not for a brutal looking finger injury that sidelined him for the remainder of last season, coming against the Texas Longhorns.
The finger injury to Grier should not be anything in the realm of a long-term concern or lingering issue. However, if anything was proved during the course of Grier’s missed time in 2017, it’s that the West Virginia offense needs him to succeed.
Look at the way the Mountaineers showed up in the Heart of Dallas Bowl loss to the Utah Utes. Backup quarterback Chris Chugunov did not have the ability to move the ball at all, even with a ton of weapons surrounding him.
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Watch out for this West Virginia squad in 2018, as long as Grier and his supporting cast are healthy throughout the year. That also goes for spring practice to get things going before the hype train really ramps up in the fall.