MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A long, glaring hole in the middle of the WVU defensive line is obvious with the absence of Darius Stills, but Stills’ departure may open the door for the next star up front for the Mountaineers’ defense.
While the depth chart listed Stills has a “nose guard” position, defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley believes his unit will instead have two tackles and an end to make up the three down linemen in the 3-3-5 look in the future.
“We’re really trying to play with two D-tackles. There’s not a traditional nose guard, which is no different than what we’ve been doing. That’s the way we played Darius, too,” Lesley said.
Last season, Dante Stills manned the defensive tackle spot alongside his brother Darius, tallying 10 1/2 tackles for loss and two sacks.
When Dante wasn’t on the field, the defensive tackle spot went to a true freshman, Ottawa, Ontario, native Akheem Mesidor. All Mesidor did in a primary backup role was collect 32 tackles, 6 1/2 for loss and five sacks.
Under Lesley’s plan, the Mountaineers will likely have Dante Stills and Mesidor on the field at the same time in 2021, with the idea Mesidor will be more of the inside presence with Stills remaining outside.
“We’re playing Akheem at both D-tackles inside,” Lesley said. “Akheem is a little heavier. He’s having to adjust carrying the extra weight. He really doesn’t look that much different, but he’s carrying extra weight, which is a good thing.”
Currently listed at 268 pounds, Mesidor is expected to grow into his body and continue to bulk up as a rising sophomore. He showed his potential last year and the defensive staff wants to get him on the field as much as possible.
Learning a new position, though, can be tough for anyone, but Mesidor will now have a full offseason under his belt to learn and become acclimated with playing inside.
After being named second team All-Big 12 and appearing on several freshman All-American teams, the secret is out and opposing offenses will know who No. 90 is for the Mountaineers.
“If he’s going to garner more attention from an offense by protection or where they’re running the football, then the other guys running in have got to step up, period,” Lesley said. “Darius was the same way, and Dante has got to be the same way. The one thing about Akheem is, Akheem loves football. I can always say that about him. He’s a guy that doesn’t count reps. If you’re doing 1-on-1 pass rush, he doesn’t count. He doesn’t say, ‘Well, I’ve done two, maybe I should go.’ He’s not one of those guys who goes, ‘I’ve done enough.’ He doesn’t count. He’s just, ‘Oh, nobody wants to go? I’ll go.’
“That’s what makes him and is going to make him so good.”
Head coach Neal Brown noted the defensive line received some new members this spring in former Bandit linebackers Taurus Simmons and Lanell Carr, who both moved to defensive end this spring.
“Lanell and Taurus have kind of grown into defensive end bodies and I’m really excited about both of them,” Brown said. “Lanell is probably the most natural pass rusher that we have. He’s working on continuing to change his body. He had two really good days in a row but he’s a guy that I think has got upside. Taurus Simmons just works and he’s kind of grown into a defensive end body, too. He’s really strong. I think both those guys are going to be high-level players. I’ll be disappointed if they’re not factors for us this fall and give us significant snaps, but I think they have a lot of potential in the future.”
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