West Virginia Football Spring Game 2017: 5 things to watch for
By John Buhler
1. Is this Will Grier’s team for 2017?
While the West Virginia secondary may inevitably leak like a sieve this fall with the departure of Rasul Douglas to the NFL, the best reason to get excited about Mountaineer football this spring is presumed starting quarterback Will Grier.
Grier was a former four-star recruit out of North Carolina in the 2014 high school graduating class. He enrolled early at the University of Florida but earned a redshirt year behind Jeff Driskel as a true freshman. Grier would emerge as the Gators’ starter as a redshirt freshman in 2015, but tested positive for PEDs and had to leave the Florida program.
He would join the Mountaineers last season but had to redshirt again. Grier will be a redshirt sophomore in 2017 with at least two more years of eligibility left. He’s old for his age, as he is already 22 years old. Grier has the body type and the arm strength to be the next NFL-level passer under offensive coordinator Jake Spavital.
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With junior college transfer running back Justin Crawford coming into the fold as well, this could be a potentially potent West Virginia offense. If Grier sets the Big 12 ablaze with his right arm, don’t be shocked if the Mountaineers stun the Oklahoma schools to contend for a conference championship. Grier makes them an interesting Big 12 dark horse.