MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Transfer quarterback Will Grier will be eligible to start West Virginia’s season opener against Virginia Tech, signaling an end to his 2015 PED suspension at Florida.
As MetroNews first reported last December, WVU compliance officials expected the NCAA to clear Grier by mid-summer. That news came Tuesday in a jubilant tweet from the athletic department:
While Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen had not commented publicly on the compliance details, he clearly felt comfortable about Grier’s availability by repeatedly letting him run the first-team offense during spring practice.
Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital has said Grier is talented enough to consider entering the NFL draft should he put together a big 2017 season.
Grier was 5-0 as a starter with Florida two seasons ago before his career stalled midseason. Caught off-guard by a failed drug test, he received a one-year suspension on Oct. 13, 2015, for using a banned over-the-counter supplement. Grier claimed he was unaware the supplement contained a disallowed ingredient, but felt uneasy about remaining in Gainesville with the ban hanging over him.
Had he stayed with the Gators, the penalty would have expired last October. Instead, he left for West Virginia and sat out the 2016 season, requiring the NCAA to decide whether the ban was fully served or put on hold during his transfer year on the sideline.
This decision to clear him was linked to NCAA protocol on waiver requests and follow-up drug testing and was “not a source of alarm,” a source told MetroNews months ago.
A former four-star recruit from North Carolina, Grier’s restored eligibility immediately elevates WVU to an upper-echelon team in the Big 12.
“We are pleased that Will has been cleared to play in our season opener by the NCAA,” Holgorsen said. “Since he enrolled here last year, he’s done everything he is supposed to do. He has been an outstanding teammate and leader on and off the field. Now that this decision is behind him, Will can turn his attention and preparation for the upcoming season.”