[2023] WVU Redshirt Freshmen Review - Dzanan Reid

[smackemz]

 

In this series we will take a look at how each of the redshirt freshmen, with a significant role, from coach smackemz initial recruiting class fared in their debut season.  

We'll start off the series with the quarterback Dzanan Reid

Role - Starting Quarterback

Quarterback is arguably the most important position on the field, and one of the most difficult for a freshman to come in an make an immediate impact.  Combine that with WVU's general youth and inexperience in their receiving weapons and you get a challenging mountain for any young player to climb.  Inconsistency should be expected and that's exactly what the fans got out of our young gun Reid.  On the season - Reid was 204/394 (51.78%) for 2,683 yards with 13 Touchdowns and 13 Interceptions.  In most games Reid and the Mountaineers were clearly outclassed in the talent department, so the struggles were to be expected.  

Best Game - Week 2 vs. Army - 18/27 (66.67%) for 318 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT 

In the Army game - WVU fans were given a glimpse into the future when the pieces start to come together.  Reid took care of the ball well, and was able to hit on some explosive plays that led to a WVU victory over the Army Black Knights.  

Worst Game - Week 9 vs. Kansas - 10/27 (37%) for 79 yards, 0 TDs, 3 INTs

On the flip side - when WVU played Kansas - Reid really struggled to connect with his receivers or take care of the football.  In a competitive game - the WVU passing game was beyond bad and provided Kansas with many opportunities to score.  

Overall - Reid had a very up and down year, which shouldn't be that unexpected with the state of the WVU roster.  He showed flashes of what the WVU staff expects he can become, but also had some really poor games where everything moved too quickly for him.  The positive for Reid is that he's basically returning his whole offense next season, and will also get to add in (Fr) TE Juan Corral into the mix.  We've been waiting for WVU to start to overcome the talent disparity for a few seasons now, but there's true optimism that 2024 will be the season where the recruiting successes start to pay off on the football field. 

Outlook - Dzanan Reid will likely end up as a 4 year starter for the Mountaineers.  We expect that he will show improvement next season, and the staff is already working hard to improve his accuracy and decision making.  Getting solid improvement from Leo Gilbert, Kevin Purcell, and the other pass catchers will go a long way towards Reid becoming the quarterback that fans really want him to become.