The Shotgun/Throwdown (5/29/18): Welcome to the Summer of Will Grier Hype

Welcome, By-Godders, to The Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU’s best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions.

Football

CBS Sports: West Virginia's Will Grier is nation's No. 2 overall QB
Honors and accolades for WVU quarterback Will Grier are rolling in before his senior season. Add another to the list. CBS Sports' Ben Kercheval rated him as the second-best quarterback in the nation. Kercheval grouped college football's starting quarterbacks into tiers and the full ranking can be found below.

ESPN: Will Grier strongest aspect of West Virginia's 2018 team
ESPN's Jake Trotter selected WVU's quarterback situation as the team's strength heading into the upcoming season. Trotter made this selection when choosing the strengths on the rosters of all of the nation's top teams, which can be seen below.

The Will Grier hype continues, as he was featured in the ESPN College Football “100 Days Until College Football” photo last week. Could Grier be saving Mountaineer fans from the “ESPN hates WVU” idea?

Pat White And Steve Slaton Among Eleven WVU Hall Of Fame Honorees - The Smoking Musket
The dynamic duo of the Rich Rod era will become a part of the 28th class of honorees in the WVU Sports Hall of Fame.

WVU football recruiting: Homegrown prospects among Mountaineers' top OL targets | WVU Gameday | wvgazettemail.com
Take a look at the top offensive line prospects for the Mountaineers.

Baseball

Duo Named to Big 12 All-Tournament Team - West Virginia Athletics
Juniors Kyle Gray and Darius Hill were named to the Big 12 All-Tournament Team. These two standouts helped lead the Mountaineers to a semifinal appearance at the 2018 Big 12 Championship.

HERTZEL COLUMN: Gray’s bond with coaches, teammates runs deep | Sports | timeswv.com
West Virginia's only first-team All-Conference selection, Kyle Gray, reflects on his connection with his teammates and the WVU coaching staff, as the team's season comes to an end.

WVU Athletics

Cashin, Gardner Punch Tickets to Eugene - West Virginia Athletics
Two Mountaineers have qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

WVU president Gordon Gee foresees realignment, but no problems for Mountaineers | WVU Gameday | wvgazettemail.com
President Gee does not expect conference realignment to be an issue for WVU in the near future.

From The AD's Desk: An Impressive Academic Year - West Virginia Athletics
West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons discusses the annual, comprehensive academic progress reports.

WVU Q&A series: A snapshot of Mountaineer swimming | WVU Gameday | wvgazettemail.com
Below is the fourth of a series the Gazette-Mail is providing this spring to spotlight WVU sports other than football and men’s basketball.

Around the Big 12

Langeliers’ single lifts Baylor past TCU to win Big 12 title | Sports | timeswv.com
OKLAHOMA CITY — Shea Langeliers’ bases-loaded single in the 11th inning gave Baylor a 6-5 win over TCU on Sunday in the Big 12 Championship game.

Five Big 12 Teams Earn Spot in NCAA Baseball Championship - Big 12 Conference - Official Athletic Site
Five Big 12 programs punched tickets to the 2018 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship with Texas and Texas Tech serving as regional hosts.

LOOK: Big 12 teams give thanks, remember veterans on Memorial Day
The Big 12 Twitter account thanked and remembered the heroes who have served to make America a free nation.

Around the NCAA

NCAA Baseball Tournament bracket 2018: SEC and everyone else - SBNation.com
We could be looking at another SEC College World Series with the conference producing powerhouses like Florida, Ole Miss, and Georgia.

Strengths for each Top 25 team
Check out the strengths on the rosters of each of the nation's top 25 teams.

Innovative college basketball schedule idea could work in football too - SBNation.com
Conference USA has created an innovative basketball scheduling concept. This new idea is a must-read for any college sports fan.

Ranking college football quarterbacks in tiers: From All-Americans to new transfers - CBSSports.com
How do college football's starting quarterbacks stack up? More importantly, where does Will Grier fall in the ranking of college football quarterbacks?

16 schools that should be on a college football ‘Hard Knocks’ - SBNation.com
There are several that would be a treat to watch. Check out which programs made the list.

Big 12 Food Tour: The best gameday eats near TCU
There are plenty of incredible places to eat in Fort Worth, Texas before or after a TCU sporting event. Here are some of the options recommended the most.

Stanley Cup Final: Capitals vs. Golden Knights will be a classic - SBNation.com
Here are seven reasons why the 2018 Capitals and Golden Knights Stanley Cup matchup will be one for the history books.

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