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Long Named Top Defensive Player, 8 Mountaineers Earn Big 12 Honors

WVU earns high praise from conference in post-season awards.

NCAA Football: Oklahoma State at West Virginia Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

Eight West Virginia football players earned Big 12 Conference post-season honors, with two men earning multiple awards. This is the most Mountaineers to earn all-conference honors in a season.

Best of all, linebacker David Long Jr. was named the Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Long finished the season with 97 total tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and one fumble forced and recovered. The redshirt junior from Cincinnati led the team in all of those categories. Long led the conference in sacks and was second in the Big 12 in solo tackles and fourth in total tackles. Remember, he played one fewer game than most other players in the conference.

Yodney Cajuste also earned an individual award, being named the Big 12 Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year. Long and Cajuste were joined by wide receiver David Sills V, tight end Trevon Wesco, safety Kenny Robinson Jr. on the All-Big 12 Conference First Team.

Sills led the team in receiving touchdowns (15), and total receptions (61). Wesco snagged 24 catches for 352 yards and a touchdown. Robinson led WVU in interceptions (3) and recorded the second-most total tackles on the team (75).

Quarterback Will Grier, offensive lineman Josh Sills and defensive lineman Kenny Bigelow Jr. were named second team all-conference. Grier led the conference in completed passes (266), total passing yards (3864) and tied for the most touchdowns thrown (37). Bigelow

In 2017, WVU placed six players on the All-Big 12 teams.

These eight players and the rest of the Mountaineers (8-3, 5-3) now await their bowl fate, which will be announced Sunday, Dec. 2, after conference championship games are completed.