WVU Senior Defensive Tackle Darius Stills Named Consenus All-American
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on January 08, 2021
FROM WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
West Virginia University senior defensive tackle Darius Stills has been recognized as a Consensus All-America, one of the college football’s top honors earned by a player, as determined by the NCAA.
“This is a proud moment for Darius, his family and the WVU football program,” WVU coach Neal Brown said. “He is very deserving of Consensus All-America honors. He has been a great representative of the Mountaineer football program on and off the field, the University and the state. We are proud of Darius and what he has meant to this program, especially that he will be leaving WVU with his degree.”
To earn Consensus All-American distinction, a player must garner a majority of the first team All-America recognition from the five All-America teams recognized by the NCAA, including the Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Football Foundation, Football Writers Association of America and the Sporting News.
Players who earn at least three first team All-America team honors automatically qualify for consensus honors. If the spots at the specific position aren’t filled, then the players with at least two first team selections will be considered and the second team selections will be used as the tiebreaker. A player who earns five first-team spots will be named a unanimous All-American.
Stills, the 2020 Big 12 Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year, becomes the second WVU defensive lineman to earn Consensus All-American honors. (Bruce Bosley, 1955). He also is the first Mountaineer to earn the distinction since 2006 (Steve Slaton, Dan Mozes) and 12th West Virginia player in school history.
Stills was an All-Big 12 First Team selection by the coaches and the AP. He was named a first-team All-America selection by AP, Sporting News, USA Today, Bleacher Report and ESPN and second team by Walter Camp, Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Phil Steele and The Athletic.
Stills finished the 2020 season with 25 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss and an interception. He also registered 10.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss over the past two seasons. Stills was a semifinalist for the 2020 Lott Impact Award, given to college football's top defensive player on and off the field and a semifinalist for the Senior CLASS Award. He earned the Chuck Bednarik Player of the Week Award, Reese's Senior Bowl and Co-Big 12 Player of the Week (Oct. 6) when he registered four tackles, including three unassisted tackles, 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss against Baylor.
WVU’s Consensus All-Americans
1919 - Ira Errett “Rat” Rodgers (FB)
1955 – Bruce Bosely (DT)
1982 – Darryl Talley (LB)
1985 – Brian Jozwiak (OL)
1992 – Mike Compton (C)
1994 – Todd Sauerbrun (P)
1995 – Aaron Beasley (CB)
1996 – Canute Curtis (LB)
2003 – Grant Wiley (LB)
2006 – Dan Mozes (C)
Steve Slaton (RB)
2020 – Darius Stills (DL)
Editor's Note: Photo of Stills by www.benqueenphotography.com
