West Virginia names QB Skyler Howard 'clear cut' No. 1

Skyler Howard left West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen with no choice when it came to tabbing the No. 1 quarterback.

"He is a clear cut No. 1. It's not even close," Holgorsen said, according to Bob Hertzel of the Times West Virginian. "He's a different kid. He's operating well. I sure hope I'm not jinxing him.

"He looks great. His teammates believe in him, his coaches believe in him."

Howard emerged under center after starting in place of quarterback Clint Trickett, whose career was derailed after suffering multiple concussions.

In three starts last season, the sophomore threw for 829 yards and eight touchdowns, failing to throw an interception in 110 passing attempts. 

Despite Trickett having the upper hand coming into spring, Holgorsen opened up the quarterback competition with true freshmen Chris Chugunuv and David Sills.

But after a stellar spring showing, Howard left no doubt who the top dog was.

"The other ones are kids. They don't have the experience," Holgorsen said. "They're getting better, but how good they will become I don't know. We are repping the heck out of them, and we'll watch and see how they progress."