The big news around Mountaineer football this week centered on ex-Florida quarterback Will Grier's decision to transfer to West Virginia. 

 

As most of you probably know, getting Grier is a big pickup from a talent perspective. Coming out of high school, Grier was the Parade Magazine Player of the Year. 

 

As a redshirt freshman starter for Florida last season, Grier had led the Gators to a 6-0 start before being hit with a year long suspension for PED use by the NCAA.

 

By rule, Grier will be forced to sit out a full year of competition. He started serving the suspension by missing the final six games of the 2015 season. Before he can serve the remaining six games of the PED use suspension, he will have to sit out the 2016 season, per NCAA rules regarding transfers. 

 

The debate around his eligibility centers on his (and WVU's) ability to obtain a waiver that would make Grier eligible at the start of the 2017 season rather than having to miss six games of the 2017 season as he finishes the year long suspension (the transfer year does not count 'as time served.'). If they are unsuccessful, we won't see Grier take the field in gold and blue until mid-season, 2017. 

 

If you are interested in getting down in the weeds a little on transfer rules and what may come next in the appeal process for Grier, Allan Taylor of MetroNews wrote a good piece recently. You can read it here: http://wvmetronews.com/2016/04/08/taylor-can-grier-find-ncaa-good-fortune-that-cleared-bosch/

 

Grier is a potentially exciting addition for the football team. A player with that skill set, that has won games at the highest level of college football is certainly someone that should get fans fired up.

 

For those of you with kids, age 10-18, the addition of Grier may be a popular one with them ... but for drastically different reasons. 

 

Believer it or not, Will Grier is not the most well known person in his family. I know, that seems impossible for us sports fans. Here's a former high school player of the year who was a starting quarterback in the SEC.

 

Yet, it's true. He has other family members that are much more popular.

 

His two brothers, Nash and Hayes are social media stars with unbelievable followings on multiple social media platforms. 

 

Don’t believe me? Go ask you 12 year old son or daughter if they have heard of the younger Grier brothers. 

 

The brothers Grier boast a combined 10 million followers on Twitter, 17 million on Vine and 14 million on Instagram. Nash’s Vine loops have been viewed a staggering 3.37 BILLION times. Yes, I said BILLION. 

 

As someone who works with businesses throughout the state on how to use social media, I have to say, I may be more impressed with what Nash and Hayes have built than what Will has done on the football field. 

 

You still have at least a year before you will be watching the football-playing brother, Will, take the field in Morgantown. While you wait to see him, spend some time brushing up on Vine and Snapchat and you will get to know the younger, more famous Grier brothers.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo by Tim Casey with UF's Communications Department is from their official Facebook page. Bottom photo is of Grier's younger brother Nash. Note that he has nearly 5.5 million Twitter followers.