West Virginia football: 3 Mountaineers with the most to prove in 2020

After transferring from Bowling Green State and being ruled immediately eligible to play, junior gunslinger Jarret Doege didn’t see the field until November last season. He played well in the four games he eventually saw action in, throwing for 818 yards and tossing seven touchdown passes, but he also threw three picks in one outing — although the ‘Eers notched the W.

The Mountaineers posted a 2-2 record in the games Doege played, losing to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State at home while beating Kansas State and TCU on the road. And while he seemed to win the job over Oklahoma-transfer Austin Kendall with his play, the pressure didn’t relent.

That’s the life of a West Virginia quarterback, though. Success is expected, with a touch of razzle-dazzle on the side.

Geno Smith (2009-12) and Will Grier (2017-18) provided both while keeping the scoreboard operators busy during their respective seasons. But Skyler Howard (2014-16) was the only signal-caller to lead the ‘Eers to a 10-win campaign in the Big 12. Smith posted 10 wins during West Virginia’s final season in the Big East, but went just 7-6 during his lone season against a Big 12 schedule.

Heading into the season as the likely-starter, will Doege just be a bridge quarterback until Brown finds “the guy”? Or will Doege prove himself to be QB1, joining the likes of Grier, Howard, and Smith as recent studs under center for the Mountaineers?