Trust like that of WVU Football in Garrett Greene is hard to come by, but the rising senior is on track to prove its validity this fall.
After three seasons coming off the bench, Greene showed as a junior that he is more than capable of leading the Mountaineers. With 147 completions on 278 attempts for 2,406 yards, 16 touchdowns, and four interceptions to go with rushing stats of 772 yards and 13 touchdowns on 120 carries, Greene’s fit as a starter was seamless.
Greene reached these totals despite missing one game and getting through just two pass attempts in another due to a week three ankle injury against Pittsburgh. Redshirt freshman backup Nicco Marchiol filled in well to earn wins in both games without Greene, but the soul of the Mountaineers was irreplacable.
Blockers’ jobs are easier with Greene at the helm. His comfort in running with the ball makes it easy for him to bail the offensive line out of a bad situation, and with his accuracy only increasing, his ability to complete throws in any kind of situation allows him to march at the beat of his own drum.
“(Greene is) seriously calm in the pocket,” junior tight end Treylan Davis said. “He is a field general right now… He brings everyone up with him, and he just continues to get better.”
Early injury struggles did not halt that growth in any way, either, as after missing just one full game, Greene was back on the field as the WVU starter for the rest of the season. His performance earned him All-Big 12 Conference Fourth Team honors from Phil Steele and an honorable mention selection from the Big 12 coaches.
Greene capped off his season with an MVP performance at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against North Carolina, where he marked 228 passing yards and a touchdown on 12-for-23 passing and 75 rushing yards in nine carries.
Given one more year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Greene now has a chance to build off his 2023 success. Expectations are high, with 247Sports and Athlon ranking Greene fifth in a competitive pool of Big 12 starting quarterbacks. PFF College is taking their standards even higher, giving him the highest quarterback PFF grade in the conference ahead of the 2024 season.
When compared to past WVU greats, Greene stands out as having a uniquely versatile skillset. He has nowhere near the level of pass attempts or completions that someone like Geno Smith had for three seasons, but, despite his speed and presence as a rushing threat, Greene never made the offensive scheme all about his running, either.
Greene makes use of his offensive weapons, and he elevates them. Running backs Jahiem White and CJ Donaldson were both top 10 in the Big 12 in rushing yards last season, with Greene coming in right behind in 11th.
White earned Freshman All-American honors from several publications while Donaldson earned an honorable mention selection to the coaches’ All-Big 12 Conference team. Greene’s willingness to let the offense run through different sources allows WVU to appear as one of the most complete offenses in the game entering 2024, whether his personal statistics take another massive jump or not.
Garrett Greene and the West Virginia Mountaineers will look to prove themselves as a threat early this fall, starting with an August 31 game at home against Penn State.
Photo by Aaron Parker, Blue Gold Sports
