West Virginia QB The Latest To Sit Out Bowl Game, Prepare For NFL Draft

(CBS SPORTS) -- Will Grier has played his final college game. West Virginia announced Saturday that Grier will sit out of West Virginia's bowl game against Syracuse to prepare for the 2019 NFL Draft.

"Will and I spoke at length about the bowl game, and I am fully supportive of his decision to begin preparing for the NFL Draft," Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen said. "While we will miss him in Orlando, Will's commitment and service to WVU Football over the last three years will be talked about for many years to come. He led us with class, hard work and a willingness to learn, and set a high standard for his teammates. He will always be part of our family, and we wish him, Jeanne and Eloise all the best in pursuit of their dreams."

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Grier is currently third in the country in passing yards per game at 351.3. He finishes the season with 3,864 yards passing, 37 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Mountaineers went 15-7 in his starts for them the past two seasons.

Grier, who began his career at Florida before transferring to West Virginia, is currently the No. 4 QB in CBSSports.com's 2019 NFL Draft QB rankings. While he has had plenty of production during his college career, it's hard to judge how NFL teams will view him due to the system he played in, and the fact he's only 6-feet-2. Of course, considering Baker Mayfield went with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, Grier's height probably won't doom him if he performs well in workouts for teams leading up to the draft.

As for where West Virginia will look to replace him in the Camping World Bowl, sophomore Jack Allison seems to be the most likely candidate to start. He's the only other West Virginia QB to throw a pass this season, completing 6 of his 10 attempts. At the moment, he appears to be the favorite for the starting job in 2019, so getting him a start in the bowl game could help prepare him for next season.