Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
WVU’s Darius Stills Named to Athlon’s All-Big 12 First Team
June 03, 2020 01:40 PM | Football, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia senior defensive lineman Darius Stills was listed on Athlon Magazine's 22-member 2020 All-Big 12 first team revealed earlier today on its website Athlonsports.com.
Stills was the only WVU player recognized on the first team.
The Fairmont Senior High product generated 47 tackles, 14 ½ tackles for losses and seven sacks last year as a junior to earn All-Big 12 First Team honors.
His best game came at Baylor when he made 10 total tackles and three sacks – just the 20th time in school history a Mountaineer player has registered three sacks in a game and only the seventh instance ever it was done by a player with his hand on the ground.
Baylor coach Matt Rhule, now coaching the Carolina Panthers, was duly impressed with Stills' performance, remarking afterward, "I want to make sure I say this … 56 (Darius) is one of the best players we've played against," he said. "I said that coming in. I told you people, 'Hey, this kid 56, he's everything that I thought he was going to be.
"Some people say the Big 12 D-linemen – that's the thing that's out there – well, watch 56 because he gets everybody. I love him."
Stills' younger brother Dante, who had a pair of sacks in that game against Baylor and finished his sophomore campaign with seven quarterback takedowns, was named to Athlon's second All-Big 12 unit, joining sophomore wide receiver Sam James, who made 69 catches for 677 yards and two touchdowns.
James' best game was a 14-catch, 223-yard performance in last year's home loss to Texas Tech. He also produced 155 yards and a touchdown in WVU's upset home victory over NC State.
Sophomore offensive guard James Gmiter, sophomore safety Tykee Smith and junior outside linebacker Josh Chandler were listed on Athlon's fourth team.
Chandler produced 72 tackles and 3 ½ tackles for losses in just 10 games, the Canton, Ohio, resident missing the Baylor and Texas games after sustaining a knee injury at Oklahoma.
Gmiter emerged in 2019 as one of the Big 12's top young blockers after making the switch from defensive tackle in the spring. The Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, resident did not allow a sack in eight games and had six games without missing a single assignment, according to the Mountaineer coaching staff.
He played in all 12 games, making 10 starts.
And Smith became one of the most outstanding true freshman players in the Big 12 last year by recording 53 tackles, six pass breakups, 2 ½ tackles for losses, a pair of interceptions and a sack in 12 games for the Mountaineers.
The Philadelphia resident was named to the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-America Team.
Meanwhile, West Virginia players are on target for a mid-June return to campus to begin voluntary workouts.
The Mountaineers will open the 2020 season on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in the Chic-fil-A Kickoff Classic against Florida State.
WVU's seven-game home football schedule begins the following weekend with a Saturday, Sept. 12 date against Eastern Kentucky.
The priority deadline for season tickets has passed, but season tickets can still be purchased by logging on to WVUGAME.com or by calling the Mountaineer Ticket Office toll-free at 1-800-WVU GAME.
Stills was the only WVU player recognized on the first team.
The Fairmont Senior High product generated 47 tackles, 14 ½ tackles for losses and seven sacks last year as a junior to earn All-Big 12 First Team honors.
His best game came at Baylor when he made 10 total tackles and three sacks – just the 20th time in school history a Mountaineer player has registered three sacks in a game and only the seventh instance ever it was done by a player with his hand on the ground.
Baylor coach Matt Rhule, now coaching the Carolina Panthers, was duly impressed with Stills' performance, remarking afterward, "I want to make sure I say this … 56 (Darius) is one of the best players we've played against," he said. "I said that coming in. I told you people, 'Hey, this kid 56, he's everything that I thought he was going to be.
"Some people say the Big 12 D-linemen – that's the thing that's out there – well, watch 56 because he gets everybody. I love him."
Stills' younger brother Dante, who had a pair of sacks in that game against Baylor and finished his sophomore campaign with seven quarterback takedowns, was named to Athlon's second All-Big 12 unit, joining sophomore wide receiver Sam James, who made 69 catches for 677 yards and two touchdowns.James' best game was a 14-catch, 223-yard performance in last year's home loss to Texas Tech. He also produced 155 yards and a touchdown in WVU's upset home victory over NC State.
Sophomore offensive guard James Gmiter, sophomore safety Tykee Smith and junior outside linebacker Josh Chandler were listed on Athlon's fourth team.
Chandler produced 72 tackles and 3 ½ tackles for losses in just 10 games, the Canton, Ohio, resident missing the Baylor and Texas games after sustaining a knee injury at Oklahoma.
Gmiter emerged in 2019 as one of the Big 12's top young blockers after making the switch from defensive tackle in the spring. The Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, resident did not allow a sack in eight games and had six games without missing a single assignment, according to the Mountaineer coaching staff.
He played in all 12 games, making 10 starts.
And Smith became one of the most outstanding true freshman players in the Big 12 last year by recording 53 tackles, six pass breakups, 2 ½ tackles for losses, a pair of interceptions and a sack in 12 games for the Mountaineers.
The Philadelphia resident was named to the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-America Team.Meanwhile, West Virginia players are on target for a mid-June return to campus to begin voluntary workouts.
The Mountaineers will open the 2020 season on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in the Chic-fil-A Kickoff Classic against Florida State.
WVU's seven-game home football schedule begins the following weekend with a Saturday, Sept. 12 date against Eastern Kentucky.
The priority deadline for season tickets has passed, but season tickets can still be purchased by logging on to WVUGAME.com or by calling the Mountaineer Ticket Office toll-free at 1-800-WVU GAME.
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