Eligibility ruling makes Grier an early Heisman darkhorse
Will Grier hasn't played a competitive football game since Oct. 10, 2015, but it would still be silly not to mention his name when discussing potential Heisman Trophy candidates for 2017.
Grier received the green light Tuesday to play Week 1 for West Virginia, as the NCAA dropped the final six weeks of his initial one-year suspension for a positive drug test. He sat out all of last year after transferring to the Mountaineers from Florida.
Conventional wisdom says it'll take time for Grier to shake off whatever rust exists from not playing for almost two full years and adjust to his new surroundings. But here's the thing: Grier showed in his brief time at Florida that he's anything but conventional.
As a freshman with the Gators, Grier led his squad to six wins in six games. The Davidson, N.C., native threw for 1,204 yards with 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He had a healthy completion percentage of 65.8 and an even healthier 7.48 yards per pass attempt.
Grier was on the cusp of stardom when the suspension derailed him, and while he's moved on to West Virginia, his old team is still searching for another Will Grier.
It remains to be seen whether the former four-star recruit will be able to pick up against Virginia Tech in Week 1 where he left off on Oct. 10, 2015, but for what it's worth, Grier went 12-of-18 for 202 yards at the Mountaineers' spring game, showing he isn't as far behind in his re-emergence as some may have expected.
His numbers weren't necessarily eye-popping at Florida, but they'll probably balloon in the Big 12 - the conference where defense is optional. It'll be to Grier's advantage that he's partnering with offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, who helped Davis Webb enjoy a career year at Cal in 2016 and had success working with Johnny Manziel and Kenny Hill at Texas A&M before that.
A strong dose of roster turnover could limit the amount of success West Virginia experiences in 2017, but if the Mountaineers manage to hurdle their way through the Big 12, it'll probably be because of Grier and a Heisman-worthy season from the former Florida standout.