WVU Earns Fourth FWAA “Super 11” Honor
April 09, 2026 12:00 PM | Football, Athletics Communications
DALLAS – One first-time winner and 10 previous ones, including West Virginia University for the second time in a row and fourth time in the past six years, comprise the 17th Super 11 Awards, presented annually by the Football Writers Association of America to the best performing College Sports Communicators departments in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The awards announced this week are for the 2025 season.
WVU's football communications unit is led by Mike Montoro, assistant athletics director for football communications, and Michael Fragale, executive senior associate director of athletics communications, who have overseen the publicity for WVU football since 2007.
"We are honored to have received this recognition for the second consecutive year and fourth time in the past six years (2020, 2022, 2024, 2025)," Montoro said. "Handling the communications efforts for college football is a demanding business and many people have to be part of the process and do their jobs efficiently for everything to be done the right way. Credit for this award needs to be shared with coach Rich Rodriguez, the Mountaineer coaching staff and the WVU Athletics external team."
The 2025 Super 11 Award is a record 13th for Clemson and its staff led by Ross Taylor, assistant athletic director for football communications. Nebraska and its staff led by Keith Mann, associate athletic director for communications, earned its 12th.
Other winners were Navy for the ninth time; Iowa, South Carolina, Tennessee and WVU each a fourth time; and Texas Tech, a third time. The first-time recipient for the 2025 Super 11 Award was Kansas. The Super 11 dates to the 2009 season.
This year's winners were deemed to have had excellent accessibility during the week of their games and after the game with a program's players, coaches and coordinators/assistant coaches. Other criteria regarding beat reporter access, interview requests and decorum and protocols in the press box and locker room are listed in the 2025-26 FWAA Directory.
"We're so excited to again honor the best and brightest communication staffs in college football," said FWAA 2026 President Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports. "I've been fortunate enough to directly work with many of the staffers on this list and we greatly appreciate their service to our profession. I'd like to give a special recognition to the retiring Jerry Emig at Ohio State, a legend in the industry who has been a wonderful partner to the FWAA over the years. We commend him for his years of service."
The FWAA is also presenting a Super 11 Coach of the Year Award to SMU's Rhett Lashlee. He is the eighth head coach to win this award and it comes during a season when the Mustangs posted another excellent season and won the Holiday Bowl.
Besides a coach being available, player access, often under the control of the coach, is key for a coach getting this award.
FWAA members provided input during the season when press boxes were judged on how well they were run and maintained in terms of neutrality, pool reporters, noise level and accessibility to the press box that could affect a media person's ability to do his or her job.
"We once again honor some programs who have provided great assistance to writers for many years and have demonstrated a culture of excellence in what they do in their pressbox and in terms of accessibility to players and coaches," said FWAA Executive Director Steve Richardson. "We applaud those programs as well as the newcomer program. These are the best of the best of several communications staff we honor. There are others which are excellent and some on the cusp of making Super 11 next year perhaps. We have a number of hard-working communications staff who make our jobs easier. We appreciate that on an annual basis."
In January of 2009, the FWAA released the first Super 11 Awards – a concept supported by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA). The FWAA has now awarded at least one Super 11 Award to 83 different FBS programs.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and game-day operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual FWAA All-America Team.
2025 FWAA Super 11 Honorees
Clemson
Iowa
Kansas
Navy
Nebraska
Ohio State
San Jose State
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas Tech
West Virginia
For more information about the FWAA and its program and initiatives, contact Executive Director Steve Richardson at 214-870-6516 or tiger@fwaa.com.
WVU's football communications unit is led by Mike Montoro, assistant athletics director for football communications, and Michael Fragale, executive senior associate director of athletics communications, who have overseen the publicity for WVU football since 2007.
"We are honored to have received this recognition for the second consecutive year and fourth time in the past six years (2020, 2022, 2024, 2025)," Montoro said. "Handling the communications efforts for college football is a demanding business and many people have to be part of the process and do their jobs efficiently for everything to be done the right way. Credit for this award needs to be shared with coach Rich Rodriguez, the Mountaineer coaching staff and the WVU Athletics external team."
The 2025 Super 11 Award is a record 13th for Clemson and its staff led by Ross Taylor, assistant athletic director for football communications. Nebraska and its staff led by Keith Mann, associate athletic director for communications, earned its 12th.
Other winners were Navy for the ninth time; Iowa, South Carolina, Tennessee and WVU each a fourth time; and Texas Tech, a third time. The first-time recipient for the 2025 Super 11 Award was Kansas. The Super 11 dates to the 2009 season.
This year's winners were deemed to have had excellent accessibility during the week of their games and after the game with a program's players, coaches and coordinators/assistant coaches. Other criteria regarding beat reporter access, interview requests and decorum and protocols in the press box and locker room are listed in the 2025-26 FWAA Directory.
"We're so excited to again honor the best and brightest communication staffs in college football," said FWAA 2026 President Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports. "I've been fortunate enough to directly work with many of the staffers on this list and we greatly appreciate their service to our profession. I'd like to give a special recognition to the retiring Jerry Emig at Ohio State, a legend in the industry who has been a wonderful partner to the FWAA over the years. We commend him for his years of service."
The FWAA is also presenting a Super 11 Coach of the Year Award to SMU's Rhett Lashlee. He is the eighth head coach to win this award and it comes during a season when the Mustangs posted another excellent season and won the Holiday Bowl.
Besides a coach being available, player access, often under the control of the coach, is key for a coach getting this award.
FWAA members provided input during the season when press boxes were judged on how well they were run and maintained in terms of neutrality, pool reporters, noise level and accessibility to the press box that could affect a media person's ability to do his or her job.
"We once again honor some programs who have provided great assistance to writers for many years and have demonstrated a culture of excellence in what they do in their pressbox and in terms of accessibility to players and coaches," said FWAA Executive Director Steve Richardson. "We applaud those programs as well as the newcomer program. These are the best of the best of several communications staff we honor. There are others which are excellent and some on the cusp of making Super 11 next year perhaps. We have a number of hard-working communications staff who make our jobs easier. We appreciate that on an annual basis."
In January of 2009, the FWAA released the first Super 11 Awards – a concept supported by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA). The FWAA has now awarded at least one Super 11 Award to 83 different FBS programs.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and game-day operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual FWAA All-America Team.
2025 FWAA Super 11 Honorees
Clemson
Iowa
Kansas
Navy
Nebraska
Ohio State
San Jose State
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas Tech
West Virginia
For more information about the FWAA and its program and initiatives, contact Executive Director Steve Richardson at 214-870-6516 or tiger@fwaa.com.
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