Trump Turns Heads With Surprise Message on College Football Quarterback

Heavy on College Football

President-elect Donald Trump took the college football world by surprise after posting a video of West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Nicco Marchiol’s touchdown dance. Trump posted a video in a November 11, 2024, message on Truth Social of Marchiol’s highlights which featured the quarterback doing Trump’s signature dance during a game.

The President-elect made the same dance famous at campaign rallies by simply moving his arms back and forth during the song “YMCA.” Less than one week after posting, Trump’s message has received more than 45,000 likes and is approaching 10,000 reposts.

One day later, Trump posted the same video on X which received more than 23 million views, 44,000 shares and 430,000 likes. Marchiol appeared to be excited by the surprise posts from Trump.

“POTUS TRUSTS THE CLIMB!” Marchiol said while reposting the video in a November 12 message on X. “LET’S GO MOUNTAINEERS!”

Nicco Marchiol Is the Backup Quarterback at West Virginia

It is a bit of a surprise given Marchiol is the backup quarterback at West Virginia and far from a household name in the college football world. At the time of the viral dance, Marchiol was filling in for an injured Garrett Greene.

The Mountaineers once again started Greene against Baylor in the team’s November 16, matchup. It looks like Trump might have been tipped off by West Virginia senator Shelley Capito who confessed to sending the video to the President-elect.

“After watching the @WVUfootball game over the weekend and seeing this moment from quarterback @MarchiolNicco, I knew I had to send it to
@realDonaldTrump,” Capito said in a November 12, X post. “So awesome to see that he shared it on his Truth Social account. West Virginia getting big shout outs!”

Nicco Marchiol on Future at Quarterback: ‘I Know That Garrett’s Got My Back & I Got His’

As far as facing an uncertain future, Marchiol spoke about his mindset regarding not knowing if and when he will play. Marchiol is confident West Virginia can win with both quarterbacks.

“The only thing I can worry about is being the best teammate possible,” Marchiol told reporters on November 9. “If my number gets called, [I] can give my guys the best chance to be successful. But I think when it gets back to talking about who’s going to play and stuff, it’s really about who’s going to be a great teammate. Who’s going to support the other guy.

“And if it goes either way, I know that Garrett’s got my back and I got his. So, we’ve proven to have success with both, and we’re both dangerous. We both have crazy skills. So, whichever way it goes, I’m always going to be behind my brother.”

49ers Star Nick Bosa Was Fined by the NFL for Wearing a Trump Hat During an NBC Postgame Interview

Another athlete who has been public with his support for Trump is San Francisco 49ers pass rusher Nick Bosa. Some fans have supported both athletes’ actions, but there has also been backlash from others. The star defender was fined for wearing a Trump hat and crashing an NBC postgame interview.

“NFL fined 49ers DE Nick Bosa $11,255 for wearing a MAGA hat during last Sunday night’s postgame interviews on NBC,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter detailed in a November 9, post on X. “Bosa told reporters that he knew the NFL might fine him, but it was ‘worth it.'”