West Virginia football: 5 breakout players to watch in 2018
By Phil Poling
Coming in at No. 2 on our 2018 breakout Mountaineers list is sophomore defensive lineman Darius Stills. Stills is a Fairmont, WV native and will be joined by his brother, Dante, this fall at WVU on the gridiron. Their father, Gary, played for the Mountaineers in the ’90s and was an incredible pass rusher.
Stills, a 3-star recruit out of high school, played sparingly as a freshman, but was expected to compete for the starting job in 2018. Once starter Lamonte McDougle announced plans to transfer, Stills became the favorite to takeover the position. Head coach Dana Holgorsen is focused on seeing the 6-foot-4 Stills on the field in game action before getting too excited, though..
“He [Stills] looks like a real guy to me,” Holgorsen said back in April to 247sports. “I don’t like to talk about guys until they actually make plays in a game, but he’s harder to block than guys we’ve had at that position in years past.”
If Stills can wreak havoc for defensive coordinator Tony Gibson and the ‘Eers up front, it’ll go a long way in shaping the West Virginia defense as a whole. Stills’ production won’t simply be measured by his sack or tackle totals, though. Playing interior defensive line isn’t typically associated with glory, often absorbing double teams to free up teammates to make plays. But if Stills were to have a monstrous year — both racking up sacks and freeing up teammates — the Mountaineers could be a legit threat to win the Big 12 Title.