1. Darius Stills’ name will be mentioned in NFL Draft circles
Even though the WVU football team enters the month of November just 3-5, they still have a couple of bright spots on their roster. The main one? Fairmont’s own Darius Stills. He’s teaming up with his brother, Dante, on the Mountaineers’ defensive line and continues to make a name for himself week in and week out.
He’s second on the Mountaineers in sacks with six on the season, only trailing his brother Dante who has seven, but is a more complete player at this stage of his career. He’s the focal point of every offense West Virginia faces; opposing teams know they have to slow Darius in order to move the football.
Darius also has nine tackles-for-loss on the season, essentially living in opponent’s backfields during his junior season. He’s managed 29 tackles on the year, but obviously isn’t a sideline-to-sideline runner at 6-foot-1 and 292 pounds. Most people knew who he was prior to the ‘Eers Halloween matchup with Baylor on ESPN, but he jumped off the screen all night, and it started during the first possession.
“Make sure you report that Baylor’s soft up front,” an emphatic Stills said to ESPN sideline reporter Molly McGrath after just the first series. This oozing confidence wasn’t just talk, though. Stills had his way with the Bears’ offensive line, tallying three sacks, three tackles for loss, and 10 total tackles.
Would the West Virginia-native depart WVU early to head to the 2020 NFL Draft? He’ll certainly be on the radar of many pro teams. But would this lone year of production be enough to have his name called by the commissioner? I don’t believe Stills should enter the 2020 NFL Draft, but he will be playing on Sundays in the future.
For the Mountaineers’ sake, let’s just hope it’s not the immediate future. If Stills returns for his senior campaign, West Virginia could not only have one of the best defensive fronts in the Big 12, they could have one of the best in college football. And it all starts with No. 56.