MORGANTOWN — David Sills quickly became quarterback Will Grier’s favorite wide receiver for the WVU football team this season. Sills was on the receiving end of 18 of Grier’s 34 touchdown passes.
Grier announced Dec. 14 that he will return for his senior season with the Mountaineers in 2018, but the jury was still out on whether Sills would return or declare for the NFL.
On Dec. 18, the speculation ended when Sills announced he would rejoin Grier for one last time and return for his senior year.
“After talking with my family and my coaches and taking time in prayer, I have decided to return for my senior season at West Virginia University,” Sills said in a statement. “I look forward to our bowl game, and having another year with my teammates here in Morgantown. It is important to me to finish what I started in the classroom and help our program win a Big 12 championship. WVU holds a special place in my heart, and I am looking forward to seeing what this team can accomplish next year.”
Sills was a Biletnikoff Award finalist, given to the nation’s top receiver, in his first season back at WVU after spending a year at El Camino College (Calif.) . He hauled in 60 passes for 980 yards to go along with his nation-leading 18 touchdowns, and was named to 10 All-American teams, including earning a spot on four of the five all-America teams that comprise the consensus team.
“David proved this year that he can be one of the best receivers in college football,” head coach Dana Holgorsen said. “Another season will help him improve in all areas, and I know our fans will be excited to see him team up with Will Grier for another year.”
Sills had four games with 100 or more receiving yards, had multiple touchdowns in seven games. He had a season-best 153 yards on seven catches and three touchdowns against East Carolina and also had 136 yards on seven receptions and three touchdowns at Baylor.
With Grier and Sills returning, the Mountaineers should be ranked highly in next year’s preseason with 16 of 24 starters returning — including kicker Evan Staley and punter Billy Kinney.
On offense, WVU will have seven starters returning, losing running back Justin Crawford, receiver Ka’Raun White, guard Kyle Bosch and fullback Elijah Wellman. Defensively, the Mountaineers also return seven starters, losing cornerbacks Mike Daniels and Elijah Battle, safety Kyzir White and linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton.
