Consensus All-Americans
Consensus All-Americans | Biographies | All-Americans | Hall of Famers
Consensus All-Americans
| Name | Year |
|---|---|
| Aaron Beasley | 1995 |
| Beanie Bishop Jr. | 2023 |
| Bruce Bosley | 1955 |
| Mike Compton | 1992 |
| Canute Curtis | 1996 |
| Brian Jozwiak | 1985 |
| Wyatt Milum | 2024 |
| Dan Mozes | 2006 |
| Ira Errett "Rat" Rodgers | 1919 |
| Todd Sauerbrun | 1994 |
| Steve Slaton | 2006 |
| Darius Stills | 2020 |
| Darryl Talley | 1982 |
| Grant Wiley | 2003 |
Biographies
Aaron Beasley
Cornerback - 1982
This Pottstown, Pa., native captured first team All-America honors from five different sources during a 1995 season in which he nabbed five interceptions. The year prior as a junior, Beasley led the nation with 10 picks. Of his 19 career interceptions (second all-time at WVU), three went for TDs. A Jim Thorpe and Football News defensive player of the year semifinalist as a senior, Beasley was a third-round selection of the Jacksonville Jaguars and played in the NFL for nine seasons with the Jaguars, New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons.
Beanie Bishop Jr.
Cornerback - 2023
Cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. earned consensus All-America honors and did so without years of offseason buildup and momentum. After transferring from Minnesota, his one year spent in Morgantown was special. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, he became the second WVU cornerback to earn Consensus All-America honors, (Aaron Beasley, 1995). Bishop also was the first Mountaineer to earn the distinction since 2020 (Darius Stills) and 13th West Virginia player in school history. Bishop earned a spot on all five (Walter Camp – first team, FWAA – first team, AP – second team, Sporting News – second team, AFCA – second team) All-America teams that make up the consensus team. Bishop was also named to All-America teams by the College Football Network, Bleacher Report and Phil Steele (first team) and USA Today and FOX Sports (second team). Bishop, a 2023 All-Big 12 Conference First Team performer also was a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award. He started all 13 games for the Mountaineers and led the nation in passes defended (24) and breakups (20), was second in forced incompletions (17) and was tied for No. 19 in interceptions (4). He finished No. 2 in WVU history for single-season pass breakups (20) and tied the school record with five pass breakups in a game.
Bruce Bosley
Tackle - 1955
This Green Bank, W.Va., resident earned consensus All-America honors as a tackle in 1955, ending a 36-year West Virginia consensus drought. A terrific all-around player, Bosley played on the 1954 Sugar Bowl team and helped WVU to a three-year 31-7 mark. A second-round selection by the San Francisco 49ers in 1956, the 1953 Academic All-American was a four-time all-pro as a member of the 49ers during his 13-year NFL career. Bosley was a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Mike Compton
Center - 1992
West Virginia's fifth consensus All-American used equal amounts of brains and muscle to gain national acclaim. A native of Richlands, Va., Compton was cited by seven different sources for his consensus tag at center. One of four Rotary Lombardi Award finalists, he was a NCAA Today's Top Six winner and was selected to speak on behalf of all NCAA student-athletes at the 1993 NCAA Convention in Dallas. A third-round pick by the Detroit Lions in 1993, the Academic All-American was a fixture at guard and center for the Lions for eight seasons before moving on to New England, where he won two Super Bowl rings with the Patriots and played one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Canute Curtis
Linebacker - 1996
One of West Virginia's most decorated defenders, linebacker Canute Curtis was the anchor of the nation's No. 1-rated defense in 1996. The BIG EAST defensive player of the year and the school's all-time sack leader with 34.5, the Amityville, N.Y., native was a finalist for the Butkus Award, the Football Writers Association Bronko Nagurski Award and the Football News defensive player of the year. He was a sixth-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Brian Jozwiak
Offensive Tackle - 1985
Mammoth offensive tackle Brian Jozwiak became Coach Don Nehlen's second consensus All-American in 1985. Jozwiak gained consensus status at offensive tackle by earning first team All-America honors from five different sources. The seventh player taken in the 1986 NFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, the Catonsville, Md., resident was just the fifth Mountaineer to be taken in the first round of the NFL draft. Jozwiak played three NFL seasons before injury forced him into early retirement.
Dan Mozes
Center - 2006
Dan Mozes was named the Rimington Award winner, signifying the top center in the nation. He helped lead the Mountaineers to two 11-win seasons, two Top 10 final rankings and set the best four-year record in the school’s history. Mozes finished with a complete sweep, earning both unanimous and consensus All-America honors. He was a leader on one of the most explosive offenses in college football, ranking No. 2 nationally in rushing, No. 3 in scoring, No. 5 in total offense and No. 6 in fewest sacks allowed. West Virginia averaged 303 yards per game rushing, 38.9 points a game and 461.4 yards per game of total offense. He signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings.
Ira Errett "Rat" Rodgers
Fullback - 1919
Hailed as one of the nation's finest pre-World War II football players, Ira Errett Rodgers is considered by several historians to be West Virginia's finest all-around athlete. West Virginia's first consensus pick in 1919 at fullback, the Bethany, W.Va., native amassed the single greatest season of any West Virginia player in 1919, leading the nation in scoring with 147 points. National syndicated columnist Grantland Rice labelled Rodgers "the finest all-around football player in the land" that season. Rodgers was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1953.
Todd Sauerbrun
Punter - 1994
Considered among the top punters in NCAA football history, Todd Sauerbrun established an NCAA standard 48.4 punting average in 1994 on the way to consensus All-America status. Sauerbrun also set NCAA marks in career punting average (46.1) and season punts traveling longer than 50 yards (32). The AT&T national Long Distance Award winner earned a clean sweep of All-America teams in 1994 and had one punt travel 90 yards against Nebraska in the Kickoff Classic. The Setauket, N.Y., native was the 56th player taken in the 1995 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears (second round), the highest specialist taken since 1979. He also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and was named to the Walter Camp Football Foundation All-Century College Football Team for the 1900's.
Steve Slaton
Running Back - 2006
This three-year starter was a quick-footed and speedy runner who ran for a school record 1,744 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2006, helping lead the Mountaineers to a second-straight 11-win season. He was second in the nation in all-purpose yards, fourth in rushing yards per game and tied for No. 12 in scoring. Slaton finished with a complete sweep, earning both unanimous and consensus All-America honors. He ran for over 1,000 yards all three years, helping the Mountaineers to three-straight 11-win seasons and Top 10 rankings. While he was at WVU, he finished his career among the Top 10 active players nationally in career rushing yards, career rushing yards per game, career rushing touchdowns, career yards per carry, scoring touchdowns, total points and points per game and all-purpose yards per game. He also was named the most valuable player of the 2006 Sugar Bowl, finishing with a bowl record 204 yards against Georgia.
Darius Stills
Defensive Tackle - 2020
A two-year starter and four-year letterman, Darius Stills, was coach Neal Brown’s first consensus All-American honoree in 2020. The Big 12 Conference’s Defensive Lineman of the Year and two-time All-Big 12 First-Team selection earned spots on nine different All-America teams, including first team by the Associated Press and Sporting News and second team by FWAA and Walter Camp. The Lott Trophy and Senior CLASS Award national semifinalist was the first WVU lineman to earn AP First-Team All-America honors in school history. In 2020, Stills was one of the main cogs in the Power 5’s No. 1 defense, only giving up 291.4 yards per game. During his final two years, Stills registered 72 tackles, including 40 solo stops, 10.5 sacks, 22 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, two pass breakups and an interception.
Darryl Talley
Linebacker - 1982
Coach Don Nehlen's first consensus All-America pick in 1982 (third ever at WVU), linebacker Darryl Talley captured first team All-America status on nine teams that season. A vicious hitter who finished his career as the school=s all-time leading tackler, Talley was among the first great Nehlen players that elevated West Virginia football nationally. Selected in the second round by the Buffalo Bills in 1983, the Cleveland, Ohio, native became a fixture on four Buffalo Super Bowl teams. Talley was a two-time NFL all-pro with the Bills.
Grant Wiley
Linebacker - 2003
Four-year starter who anchored the Mountaineer defense from his linebacker post. Surpassed fellow consensus All-American Darryl Talley to become the school’s all-time leading tackler in 2003. Finished his career with 492 total tackles in becoming WVU’s ninth consensus All-American. The Trappe, Pa., native displayed the knack for making big plays for the Mountaineer defense and finished his career as WVU’s career leader in tackles for loss with 47.5.
