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The West Virginia University football team earned just one spot on the Big 12 media's preseason all-conference team - but it was a really big spot. On top of being named to the preseason all-conference team, WVU senior defensive lineman Darius Stills was named the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. The team was selected by Big 12 media members. Stills is the first Mountaineer to earn a preseason player of the year nod since quarterback Will Grier was named the 2018 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. He is the first WVU defensive player to earn a preseason player of the year selection since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 for the 2012 season. The Fairmont native and son of former Mountaineer defensive great Gary Stills ended last season in nearly the same place he starts this one. He earned All-Big 12 first-team honors at the end of 2019 after a campaign where he earned a team-best 14 1/2 tackles for loss and tied younger brother Dante Stills for the team lead with seven sacks. Stills also was named to the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, given annually to college football's best defensive player. - Charleston Gazette-Mail

(DS#13 DT) Sr/2021

DT Darius Stills, West Virginia
News Source: Charleston Gazette-Mail
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07/17/20 - Tony Fields II, Sr/2021, West Virginia, 6-0, 222 (DS#12 ILB) + More +

If the 2020 football season happens this fall, the Arizona Wildcats could be perilously thin at a critical position. Linebacker Tony Fields II, a three-year starter, announced Wednesday that he plans to leave the UA as a graduate transfer. Fields started every game over the past three years for the Wildcats - 37 straight - at the "Will" linebacker spot. He accumulated 287 tackles, including 17 for losses and 8.5 sacks. He defended six passes and had two interceptions. - Arizona Daily Star

(DS#12 ILB) Sr/2021

ILB Tony Fields II, West Virginia
News Source: Arizona Daily Star
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07/17/20 - Sean Mahone, rSr/2022, West Virginia, 5-11, 203 (DS#35 SS) + More +

West Virginia's defense has some holes to fill in its starting lineup. The Mountaineers have to inaugurate five new starters on that unit, so those coming back will be called upon to not only indoctrinate those new starters, but also to pick up the slack if there are any growing pains. So it's fortunate for WVU that the leading tackler from 2019, safety Sean Mahone, will be back in the lineup in 2020. Mahone started all 12 games last year at WVU's cat safety spot. He finished the season with a team-best 80 tackles, five for a loss, one sack, one forced fumble, a pass breakup and an interception. Not too bad for a guy who recorded just nine tackles over two previous seasons of spot duty.

His overall stats show he's steady. He also showed last season that he can be spectacular. Against Baylor, he recorded nine tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Against Texas Tech, he registered 15 tackles, including one for a loss. He became the fifth Mountaineer defender to log a double-digit tackling performance. If there is somewhere he can improve, it's adding some interceptions to his total. That would benefit the Mountaineer defense as a whole, as it tied for 89th in the Football Bowl Subdivision with just eight picks in 2019. - Charleston Gazette-Mail

(DS#35 SS) rSr/2022

SS Sean Mahone, West Virginia
News Source: Charleston Gazette-Mail
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07/12/20 - Dante Stills, rJr/2023, West Virginia, 6-4, 286 (DS#18 DT) + More +

By getting planted firmly in the starting lineup, Stills, son of former WVU great Gary Stills, should have even more opportunities to make big plays on the WVU defensive line. The key for him is to make the most of those opportunities. He faded a little down the stretch, recording six sacks in his first eight games and earning just one sack in his last four. He'll need to improve on his consistency as a junior, but he still more than doubled his sack total between his freshman and sophomore seasons. He'll also be called upon to assume a veteran's role. Until now, that job was Donahue's. If the depth chart shapes up as some anticipate and freshman Jalen Thornton becomes the No. 2 defensive tackle, it will be Stills helping build up the next generation at that position.

As good as Stills and the rest of the defensive linemen have been, they can still help WVU defense as a whole become better. West Virginia finished a pedestrian 69th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in allowing 159.4 rushing yards per game. It was 72nd in opponents' third-down conversions, allowing first downs 39.9 percent of the time. Stills will get his chances to help improve those numbers. If WVU does improve, the spotlight on Stills will only shine brighter. - Charleston Gazette-Mail

(DS#18 DT) rJr/2023

DT Dante Stills, West Virginia
News Source: Charleston Gazette-Mail
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07/06/20 - Osman Kamara, rSr/2022, West Virginia, 5-10, 198 (DS#999 SS) + More +

West Virginia University football coach Neal Brown needs only to look at safety Osman Kamara to see the type of person and player he is. "I'll look around at special teams meetings and this is how he sits: he sits up at a desk every time," Brown said. "He has a pencil and he's taking notes." Brown said that is just a small window into why the fifth-year senior was given the Tommy Nickolich Memorial Award for the spring season. The award, presented by Blue and Gold News, goes to a walk-on team member who has distinguished himself through attitude and work ethic. The Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, native showed all those attributes through a different and difficult 2020 spring practice session, Brown said. The Mountaineers' spring season ended after a few practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Gold-Blue spring game, where Kamara would normally have been presented the award, was canceled this year.

"He earned that award," Brown said. "He has the respect of not only his coaches, but his teammates as well." While working as a reserve defensive back, Kamara has made his mark at WVU on special teams. He has seen action on more than 500 snaps over the last three seasons. He posted 100 snaps of action last season, including 17 against Texas. Kamara has seven career tackles and blocked a punt as a redshirt freshman. "He's very mature," Brown said. "He has great leadership skills, the first being from a communication standpoint. He communicates very well in all settings. He's extremely intelligent." - Charleston Gazette-Mail

(DS#999 SS) rSr/2022

SS Osman Kamara, West Virginia
News Source: Charleston Gazette-Mail
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07/01/20 - Maurice Fleming, rSr/2017, West Virginia, 5-11, 207 (DS#57 CB) + More +

Another former University of Iowa football player released an official statement on the Pre-Post Game, LLC, Facebook page Wednesday, disparaging the program and specifically former strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle and head coach Kirk Ferentz for their treatment of Black players. Maurice Fleming was a defensive back for the Hawkeyes from 2012-2015 who ended up transferring to West Virginia. He signed as a non-drafted free agent with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers but never played a regular-season game.

"During my tenure at The University of Iowa, the following incidents occurred," Fleming wrote. "During freshmen year, I can recall having my dreadlocks wasn't "the Iowa Way." Coach Doyle would go out of his way to antagonize me for having dreadlocks, which made me feel very uncomfortable and unwelcome. During the recruiting stages, there wasn't an issue with my hair, as far as I knew, and I felt accepted. It wasn't until I signed my letter of intent, things started to unfold. Eventually I got tired of hearing the comments about my hair and sadly I had my dreadlocks removed. Strangely enough, Coach Doyle commented saying, 'Reese if I had a daughter, I'd let you date her. Now it looks like you're ready to play some football!' I'm assuming he was now pleased with my appearance." - The Gazette

(DS#57 CB) rSr/2017

CB Maurice Fleming, West Virginia
News Source: The Gazette
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06/01/20 - Tyler Sumpter, rSr/2022, West Virginia, 5-09, 220 (DS#32 P) + More +

West Virginia University football coach Neal Brown and his newest special teams player are very familiar with each other. Former Troy kicker/punter Tyler Sumpter announced via Twitter video that he was transferring to WVU. Sumpter, who played for Brown when Brown was the head coach at Troy, announced in January that he was departing the Trojans. He'll have one year of eligibility. "You know, they say there's no place like home," Sumpter said over a video of him kayaking down a river. "It's a beautiful place. In fact, it's almost heaven." The video ends with Sumpter's kayak flying a WVU flag.

"It'll be a privilege to represent the Mountaineers and that Old Gold and Blue," he said. "Coach Brown, thanks for the opportunity. I'm coming home." The Hoover, Alabama, native was seventh on Troy's career scoring list with 242 points and his 76.5 percent on field goals was fifth all-time. He's also No. 2 on the Trojans' career chart with 42.2 yards per punt. Sumpter was named to the All-Sun Belt third team as a punter in both 2018 and 2019 and was all-conference second team as a kicker in 2018. - Charleston Gazette-Mail

(DS#32 P) rSr/2022

P Tyler Sumpter, West Virginia
News Source: Charleston Gazette-Mail
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06/01/20 - Tyler Sumpter, rSr/2022, West Virginia, 5-09, 220 (DS#32 P) + More +

The video on Tyler Sumpter's Twitter account Sunday evening first shows him paddling down a gently flowing river in a kayak. It then cuts to him lying back as if taking a nap with sounds of a football game playing in his head. Once back awake, the video has Sumpter paddling with a University of West Virginia flag attached to the back of the kayak. - Dothan Eagle

(DS#32 P) rSr/2022

P Tyler Sumpter, West Virginia
News Source: Dothan Eagle
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05/16/20 - Scottie Young, rSr/2022, West Virginia, 5-11, 199 (DS#63 SS) + More +

Former Arizona Wildcats safety Scottie Young Jr. announced on Twitter and Instagram Saturday morning that he is transferring to West Virginia. Young, who entered the NCAA transfer portal last month, reunites with Jahmile Addae. Addae played under former Arizona head Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia and served as the UA's defensive backs coach from 2016-17. Young played his freshman season at Arizona under Addae before Rodriguez and his staff were fired in January 2018. In three seasons at Arizona, Young recorded 157 tackles, 12 pass breakups and five interceptions in 29 starts - 32 games overall. Young told The Athletic last month he had "gotten stagnant" in Tucson and wanted to take his career "to another level." - Arizona Star News

(DS#63 SS) rSr/2022

SS Scottie Young, West Virginia
News Source: Arizona Star News
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05/07/20 - Darius Stills, Sr/2021, West Virginia, 6-1, 278 (DS#13 DT) + More +

West Virginia University football coach Neal Brown is following through on his plan to help his players navigate the NCAA's coming changes in name, image and likeness marketing rules, enlisting the help of a consultant who already has worked with several major Football Bowl Subdivision programs. WVU announced Thursday that the football program will partner with Jeremy Darlow to help players develop their skills in growing their personal brands. Darlow already has worked with programs like Michigan, Notre Dame and Texas A&M, while also helping individual athletes like Lionel Messi and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Such help is beneficial for the Mountaineers. The NCAA Board of Governors recently endorsed rule changes that will allow student-athletes to seek endorsement opportunities. "Our football players will be learning how to build their own brand from a person who wrote the book on the subject and is an individual who has worked with some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment," Brown said in a news release. "We're excited to provide that level of expertise to our players." - Charleston Gazette-Mail

(DS#13 DT) Sr/2021

DT Darius Stills, West Virginia
News Source: Charleston Gazette-Mail
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05/02/20 - Davoan Hawkins, rSr/2024, West Virginia, 6-3, 266 (DS#121 DT) + More +

The University of Kentucky football program gained a new football commitment Friday. Shortly after, it lost two of its building blocks already on campus. Kahlil Saunders, a defensive end out of Huntsville, Ala., announced his commitment to the Wildcats at 2:25 p.m. Friday. Sixteen minutes later, at 2:41 p.m., defensive lineman Cavon Butler shared that he is entering the NCAA transfer portal. A little more than an hour after that, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Davoan Hawkins also entered the NCAA transfer portal. Butler, a 6-foot-3, 310-pound Toledo native, was listed as a nose guard. As a true freshman last season he made one appearance, recording a tackle in UK's 50-7 win over Tennessee Martin. Hawkins, a 6-2, 282-pounder from Hollywood, Fla., played in nine games and made three tackles and forced a fumble last season. Two of those tackles were for a loss, including a quarterback sack. - Herald Leader

(DS#121 DT) rSr/2024

DT Davoan Hawkins, West Virginia
News Source: Herald Leader
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04/16/20 - Scottie Young, rSr/2022, West Virginia, 5-11, 199 (DS#63 SS) + More +

The Arizona Wildcats' dwindling safety corps has suffered another blow. Scottie Young Jr., who has started 29 games over the past three seasons, has decided to transfer. Young tweeted Thursday that he has entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal. Young is the fourth safety to transfer this offseason, joining Troy Young (no relation), Xavier Bell and Chacho Ulloa. Scottie Young's departure leaves Arizona with only four full-time scholarship safeties, and only two of them have any substantial experience. Young had an up-and-down career at Arizona. He started as a freshman in 2017 but was arrested that September in connection with a domestic-violence incident. Young was charged with misdemeanor assault. The charge eventually was dismissed by Pima County prosecutors after Young completed a diversion program.

He didn't miss any game time because of the incident in '17 and finished the season with 53 tackles and an interception. He was suspended from team activities the following offseason under first-year coach Kevin Sumlin and had to sit out the '18 opener. Young notched career highs in passes defensed (six) and interceptions (three) that year but had a career-low 38 tackles. After his first full offseason in the strength and conditioning program, Young seemed poised for a breakout campaign last year. Although he finished with a career-high 66 tackles, he struggled at times, particularly in coverage. Young played better toward the end of the season, by which time three UA defensive assistants had been fired. - Arizona Republic

(DS#63 SS) rSr/2022

SS Scottie Young, West Virginia
News Source: Arizona Republic
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04/08/20 - Brian Polendey, rSr/2023, West Virginia, 6-4, 252 (DS#73 TE) + More +

The Colorado State football team picked up a commitment from a former University of Miami player on Wednesday. Tight end Brian Polendey tweeted a graphic of him in a CSU uniform and said he's "excited for this next chapter." Polendey was a redshirt sophomore in 2019 at Miami, playing in six games with one start. He played in 32 snaps on the season and didn't catch a pass. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound Polendey was rated as a three-star recruit out of Guyer High School in Texas and was ranked as the No. 11 tight end in his class by ESPN. He chose Miami over offers from Arkansas, Colorado, Houston, Michigan and others. When Polendey announced his intention to transfer in January, he said he'll be earning his degree at Miami and therefore be immediately eligible to play with two seasons remaining. - Fort Collins Coloradoan

(DS#73 TE) rSr/2023

TE Brian Polendey, West Virginia
News Source: Fort Collins Coloradoan
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03/17/20 - Scottie Young, rSr/2022, West Virginia, 5-11, 199 (DS#63 SS) + More +

The Arizona Wildcats have named longtime Pac-12 assistant Greg Burns as their new defensive backs coach. Burns coached last season at USC, where he also was the secondary coach from 2002-05. The Trojans won the national championship in 2003 and '04. "We are obviously in a very unique time, and the importance of surrounding ourselves with men such as Greg is crucial in the development of our student-athletes on and off the field," UA coach Kevin Sumlin said in a news release. "He brings more than 20 years of experience coaching in the secondary with a successful track record in recruiting and development. "His Pac-12 experience, professionalism and passion for the game will be a great addition to our staff. He is more than qualified to help lead our student-athletes." Like the rest of the sports world, Arizona football is on hiatus until further notice because of the coronavirus pandemic. The team began spring football March 2 and completed four practices before taking last week off for spring break. During that time the NCAA and the Pac-12 shut down all sports indefinitely. Burns officially joined the program on March 9 and already has begun his responsibilities to the extent that he can. - Arizona Star News

(DS#63 SS) rSr/2022

SS Scottie Young, West Virginia
News Source: Arizona Star News
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02/13/20 - Colton McKivitz, rSr/2020, West Virginia, 6-6, 306 (DS#14 OT) + More +

2020 NFL COMBINE INVITE: Colton McKivitz, OT, West Virginia,...The Big 12 Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year, McKivitz played in 50 career games and started 47. He started all 13 games in 2019 and finished his career at TCU on Nov. 29, ranking No. 3 all-time for the most career starts in program history. - West Virginia Football

(DS#14 OT) rSr/2020

OT Colton McKivitz, West Virginia
News Source: West Virginia Football
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