Will Grier: This Year’s Baker Mayfield?

by Sarah Weeks

As the 2018 quarterback of the West Virginia University Mountaineers with a career of 154 pass completions, 2272 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns and a 82.5% adjusted total quarterback rating, this athlete has big plans for the WVU football team. Standing at 6’2 and 223 pounds, he sits in the #4 ranked seat on ESPN’s 2018 quarterback season leaders. This pre-season Big 12 offensive player of the year hopes to make his mark on the team by winning two “firsts.” WVU has never seen a Big 12 championship trophy or a Heisman winner on their field, but will Will Grier be the one to bring them both home in the 2018 season?

According to NCAA, the Mountaineers have launched a campaign in support of their most prized athlete to win this year’s Heisman called Grier7Heisman. Will Grier is said to be this year’s Baker Mayfield after last year’s turn around of the Oklahoma State football team thanks to Mayfield. Mayfield made his debut by being the leader of Oklahoma’s three Big 12 championships as well as the Heisman winner, allowing him to walk into his NFL career as the number one overall pick in the NFL draft. Will Grier has the hopes of doing just that by first leading WVU to the Big 12 championship, then walking out of his senior year in college as this year’s Heisman winner.

Every year leading up to December, predictions are made based on who everyone thinks will be in the race to win the Heisman. September begins and everyone makes their picks, however, those picks are usually changed by the time December comes around. This year, it seems that the 2018 Heisman race has been between four quarterbacks from around the country. Tuo Tagovailoa from Alabama, Dwayne Haskins from Ohio State, Kyler Murray from Oklahoma and Will Grier from West Virginia are the athletes America has predicted and stood behind since September. Quarterbacks have won 15 of the 18 Heisman trophies ever given out. These four quarterbacks dominated the early season games and have shown true potential to be the 2018 Heisman winner.

When asking Landgrant Gauntlet’s writer Franklin Markel, he says that there are five reasons why Will Grier should win the Heisman and five reasons he shouldn’t. Markel explains that Grier has the ultimate setup with great receivers and a strong overall offensive team that could lead him to success. Grier has every opportunity for early success by hopefully playing in the Big 12 championship which could greatly increase his Heisman chances, and also holding the quarterback position for the team which is an advantage when talking about the Heisman trophy. Unfortunately, where there are positives, there are negatives. Markel says that there is always room for later season stumbles and there is plenty of time for Grier to mess up and lose his chances. He also brings up the fact that the Mountaineers have a history of being inconsistent as well as this year’s defense which has shown weakness. As always, the Heisman competition is still, but will the cons outweigh the pros of Will Grier’s career?

Overall, can fans say for sure whether or not Grier has this in the bag? No. However, Will Grier’s statistics have blown fans, reporters and NFL coaches out of the water. There is no promise as to who wins the Heisman trophy, but with the help of Grier7Heisman, his game time team, and the goals he sets for himself over the next few games, Grier could possibly lead himself to a Big 12 championship and a Heisman trophy. As this year’s “Baker Mayfield,” if Will Grier continues to woo his fans and showcase his talent, we could see his name on a gold plate or even hear it being called as next year’s first round NFL draft pick because he has the “Will to Win.”