West Virginia Begins Phased Return To Football

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Football

Darius Stills earns spot on 2020 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List

West Virginia defensive tackle Darius Stills was announced as a member of the 2020 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List on Friday. The Lott IMPACT Trophy is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.

Phase 1 for return to football begins Monday

West Virginia football’s phased return to football began Monday as coaches and staff started to make their return to their on-campus facilities. The Mountaineers have put protocols in place for screening, distancing, cleaning, and sanitation in phase 1, which began for coaches and staff on June 8. Players will begin to return on June 15.

West Virginia AD Shane Lyons on Handling COVID-19 Plans, Plus the Big 12 Brand

West Virginia University Director of Athletics Shane Lyons was a guest on the Heartland College Sports Weekly: Big 12 College Football Podcast last week. Lyons discussed how WVU is handling COVID-19 with football players returning to campus for voluntary workouts later this month and his role as chair of the College Football Oversight Committee.

West Virginia Lands Four-Star Wide Receiver Kaden Prather

The West Virginia Mountaineers continue to build a pipeline around the Mountain State and this time it includes a four-star wide receiver from Germantown, Maryland, Kaden Prather. Prather has the skills to be a solid receiver in Neal Brown’s version of the air raid offense.

ICYMI: West Virginia Gets Another Tackle

The West Virginia Mountaineers have picked up their 11th commitment of the 2021 class, this time with three-star offensive tackle Tomas Rimac. Rimac comes to WVU from Brunswick High School in Ohio.

Basketball

Did You Know?

Did you know that West Virginia is one of only five college basketball programs to have an undefeated record against six-time NCAA champion North Carolina? WVU is also the only program to face the Tar Heels multiple times and never lose to them. Xavier, Belmont, Drake, and San Francisco are also undefeated against UNC, but they have only faced the Tar Heels once.

“Let’s roll out the carpet”: WVU hoops newcomers Thweatt, Cottrell enroll for summer session

Two of West Virginia men’s basketball’s three 2020 signees have officially begun their WVU careers after enrolling for the University’s summer session. Forwards Isaiah Cottrell and Taj Thweatt are now officially a part of WVU’s student body, which means the duo will be able to participate in voluntary and involuntary team activities when they resume.

West Virginia Athletics

Austin Davis gets bat going in CSBI debut as Team Unity falls in extras

College baseball is sort of back as West Virginia outfielder Austin Davis made his Collegiate Summer Baseball Invitational debut as his Team Unity squad fell in extra innings to Team Liberty. Davis started at center field for his team and manned the lead-off spot, where he was an offensive asset for the squad with two hits and three RBIs.

Grapner Announces Departure as Head Diving Coach

Michael Grapner of the West Virginia swimming and diving team officially announced his resignation as the Mountaineers’ head diving coach on Thursday. Grapner had been at WVU since 2010.

Mountaineer Insider Podcast: April Messerly

Much of West Virginia’s campus is still closed, but some of WVU Athletics’s massive renovation projects are still on schedule. April Messerly, WVU’s associate athletics director for facilities and operations, discusses the renovations at Milan Puskar Stadium and the WVU Coliseum on this week’s Mountaineer Insider Podcast.

Progress being made on new stadium, Coliseum video boards

West Virginia athletics is moving forward with facility projects on campus. One of the biggest additions to WVU’s athletic complexes that will catch the attention of fans is the addition of new video boards at Milan Puskar Stadium and the WVU Coliseum.

Around the Big 12

Five Named to Lott IMPACT Trophy Award Watchlist

Five Big 12 football players have been named to the watchlist for the 2020 Lott IMPACT Trophy Award. West Virginia’s Darius Stills, Baylor’s Terrel Bernard, Oklahoma’s Caleb Kelly, Oklahoma State’s Amen Ogbongbemiga, and Texas’ Joseph Ossai were named to the watchlist.

Overlooked by WVU, OU’s Kenneth Murray grew into a first round pick

Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray’s uncle, Lind Murray, played defensive back at West Virginia in 1980 and 1981. The OU linebacker said that WVU was his first dream school, but Dana Holgorsen’s coaching staff never offered him a scholarship, so Murray ended up being a Sooner and then the 23rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Around the NCAA

Ranking the Best Backfields for 2020 College Football Season

With star running backs like Clemson’s Travis Etienne, Alabama’s Najee Harris, and Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard all returning for another year, there are quite a few backfields poised for greatness in 2020.

What the NFL is doing to start the 2020 season on time

The NFL is hoping to start the season on time. Here is how the league is trying to accomplish that in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic by limiting interaction, reopening based on tiers, and modifying facilities.

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