West Virginia adds a quarterback
by Jim Buzzerd
RIGHT: Nicco Marchiol with WVU president E. Gordon Gee.
Monday was a good day for West Virginia University football recruiting as the Mountaineers secured a verbal commitment from quarterback Nicco Marchiol for the Class of 2022. Marchiol played for Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona this past fall and recently earned a 4-star grade from Scout. He is also listed 239th on the ESPN 300 national list.
Marchiol was formerly committed to Florida State and had an impressive offer list that included schools such as Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi, Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, TCU, USC, Utah, Washington State. He visited WVU in early-June. Arizona State and Michigan State were Marchiol’s other two finalists. From that standpoint alone, Marchiol ranks as one of the best quarterback recruits ever at WVU. Of course, time will tell about that.
The first thing I noticed watching his junior highlight film is his size. A 6-3, 220-pound left-handed quarterback stands out on a high school football field. The second thing that was noticeable was his running ability. He appears to be a legitimate run pass option threat. While big enough to run over defenders, in the highlights he ran away from most of them. Again, impressive given his size.
Playing in the Arizona 6A Premier Region, Marchiol has faced the state’s best players and teams on a consistent basis. Hamilton Head Coach, Mike Zdebski, believes this is a major factor on why Marchiol is ready for the next step. Zdebski also spoke on Marchiol’s leadership skills and how that has helped the Hamilton program throughout this last year.
“What Nicco gets to play week in and week out and what he gets to practice against week in and week out, it’s going to really get him ready (for the next level),” said Zdebski. “His vocal leadership is one of his strongest suits. So is his ability to really stay positive and always be uplifting to his teammates. His edification skills are top-notch.”
WVU got the quarterback they wanted, but they were also interested in Rocco Becht, the son of former WVU and New York Jet tight end Anthony Becht. Based on rankings and film it appears WVU came out ahead on this, but we’ll get to see how it plays out as the younger Becht has committed to play at Big 12 rival Iowa State.
