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A streak of thirteen consecutive recruiting cycles without an Arizona high school football pledged commit has come to an end for the West Virgina Mountaineers.
Local Hamilton High School (Chandler, AZ) 4-Star Class of 2022 Quarterback, Nicco Marchiol, took to Twitter on Monday to announce his commitment to West Virginia, becoming the 8th pledged member of the Mountaineer's 2022 recruiting class.
Marchiol, who was previously committed to Florida State, visited Morgantown for an official visit last week after reopening his recruitment earlier in the month.
The 6’3 218-pound lefty gun-slinger had an impressive offer sheet that boasted over 25 Division 1 offers. The 14th ranked Pro-Style QB in the 2022 Class per Rivals, Marchiol is the highest ranked QB recruit in the state of Arizona.
After playing his sophomore season at Regis Jesuit in Aurora, Colorado, the Marchiol family moved to Arizona last Spring, enrolling Nicco into Hamilton. Last season, the Junior quarterback led the Huskies to an 8-2 record and an appearance in the Open State Championship game.
“He’s a really good play-action passer and he can throw on the run really well,” said Hamilton offensive coordinator Jeremy Kitamura. “He’s a mobile guy who throws well when things breakdown.”
Coach Kitamura explained that Hamilton’s wide variety of offensive sets has helped Marchiol tremendously by preparing him for the collegiate level.
“A lot of the stuff we do at (Hamilton) consists of run/pass option, but there’s also a lot of play-action under center as well,” stated Kitamura. “We also have our regular spread offense where we’re throwing the ball all over the place and he does that really well too.”
“I think the amount of preparation that he puts into games makes him more college ready. Because we’re able to do different things offensively whether it’s running spread, our RPO game, or even under center game…He just has one more arrow in the quiver to be able to compete wherever he goes. There’s nothing that he hasn’t seen or done.”
Coach Kitamura also stated that Marchiol’s mechanics and a will to work on his craft every single day, separates him from the pack.
“He’s worked on his mechanics for a long time. He’s done a great job of working on his release and footwork,” said Kitamura. “He works a lot and he’s throwing all the time. That (shows) who he is as a kid, he works hard. You never have to motivate him to get out there. He’s rounding up receivers all of the time to go
Playing in the Arizona 6A Premier Region, Marchiol has faced the state’s best players and teams on a consistent basis. Hamilton Head Coach, Mike Zdebski, believes this is a major factor on why Marchiol is ready for the next step. Zdebski also spoke on Marchiol’s leadership skills and how that has helped the Hamilton program throughout this last year.
“What Nicco gets to play week in and week out and what he gets to practice against week in and week out, it’s going to really get him ready (for the next level),” said Zdebski. “His vocal leadership is one of his strongest suits. So is his ability to really stay positive and always be uplifting to his teammates. His edification skills are top-knotch.”
In only eight game last season, Marchiol threw for over 1400 yards and 11 touchdowns. Marchiol also showed off his dual-threat ability by rushing for over 500 yards and 6 touchdowns. Marchiol eclipsed over 100 yards rushing in a game three times last season, including a 100-plus yard performance in the Open State Championship game. Marchiol possesses a large, athletic frame and has a smooth throwing motion with a tight, quick release. Marchiol's listed a as Pro-style QB, but has proven time and time again that he can be dynamic in the run game as well.
Marchiol becomes the first 4-star player to pledge their commitment to the Mountaineers in their 2022 recruiting class.
