Power Ranking top 30 quarterbacks in college football this season
By Nick Villano
11. Garrett Greene, West Virginia Mountaineers
This one might surprise some, but Garrett Greene basically grabbed West Virginia out of the doldrums and made them somewhat of a threat in the Big 12 last season. He led them to a dominant win over their biggest rival Pitt, TCU, Baylor, and a huge win over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayor Bowl. There is room for improvement, as was shown in huge losses to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, but Greene has WVU as a real offensive threat.
Greene can do just about everything well, even if his biggest asset is his foot speed. He can throw deep when necessary, has shown the value of dink and dunk, and he can hit players in stride. He’s doing all this while avoiding basically all mistakes. After throwing three interceptions on just 78 attempts in 2022, Greene saw the ball go the other way just four times last year.
As far as running goes, Greene scored rushing touchdowns 12 times. Most of those didn’t come on the goalline. He had a run of 20+ yards in six games last season. This wasn’t just trying to gain a few yards when nobody was open or a typical triple-option offense to trick the defensive front seven, Greene used instincts and scheme to find massive holes and outrun defensive specialists.
This season will be an interesting one for the Mountaineers. The Big 12 is in transition, as Oklahoma and Texas leave for the Big 12. West Virginia has largely had the hardest travel in the conference, but that changes with the additions of Colorado, Utah, and others. Greene and the rest of WVU could take advantage.