FRISCO, Texas — Will Grier wore No. 7 as a star quarterback at Davidson Day School, in Charlotte, N.C. He wore No. 7 as a freshman at Florida and now dons No. 7 as a Heisman-contending quarterback at WVU.
Grier’s Heisman campaign is surrounded by No. 7 — it was launched at 7 a.m. July 7, seven weeks before the season-opener, against Tennessee. The website features seven “Will to” attributes about Grier’s life on and off the field, and a new video about those attributes is released at 7 p.m. every Sunday.
It’s clear No. 7 has an underlying significance to Grier, and there are several reasons behind it, he admitted July 17, during WVU’s session at Big 12 Media Days at The Star.
“It’s a Godly number and I’m a Christian, and that plays into it a little bit,” he said. “But it’s a number that I’ve always had and it’s a family number that we’ve always had.”
In front of one of the largest contingents during the day’s breakout session, Grier kept a smile on his face throughout a barrage of questions, but perked up when asked about No. 7’s meaning.
Seven is referenced 735 times in the Bible and represents completion and perfection — God created all things and rested on the seventh day.
Grier has used that mantra to perfect becoming a family man, something that has always been important to him.
Grier’s father, Chad, wore No. 7 at East Carolina from 1989-’90, and other members of his family sported the same.
“It has some family importance, including my extended family has worn it for as long as I can remember,” Grier said. “That number means a little something to everybody. I’m a big family guy, so it means a lot to me to be able to wear that number.”
Grier’s Heisman campaign has been under way for nearly two weeks and he is embracing the idea behind it, as long as it was OK with his head coach.
“It’s a very prestigious award, and it would be an honor to win that award, and I think it’d be great for the school and for the state,” he said. “It’s a very passionate fan base, and it would be great to bring something home for these people of West Virginia. If [head coach Dana Holgorsen] has confidence in it, then he knew it wouldn’t hurt my focus or anyone else’s. Our focus is to win football games, and we’re mature enough in that way that that’s what we’re focused on.”
While Holgorsen hasn’t had much to do with the design or implementation of the campaign, he was the one who had to sign off for it to get on its feet.
“I would never approve a campaign unless I felt like a player could handle it,” Holgorsen said. “That’s my job as far as managing players, and Will is a very older, mature coach’s kid. He’s ready for this — he’s prepared himself his whole life for us, and you will see as you talk to him throughout the course of the day, I got no worries about him not understanding expectations and how to deal with expectations.”
The key for Grier, he admits, is that the Heisman simply isn’t where his focus is. While he knows what an honor it would be and how great of a personal achievement it is, winning and the team come first.
“The true focus for me and this team is to win games.”
