Sports@DominionPost.com
West Virginia senior defensive lineman Dante Stills has been named to the Big 12 Preseason All-Conference team, today, as selected by media representatives who cover the league.
The honorees include 16 seniors, 11 juniors and three sophomores. The only player who was a unanimous selection at his position was Iowa State tight end Charlie Kolar. Fourteen were named to the 2020 All-Big 12 First Team, while seven were on the second team.
Stills returns for his final season after being named an honorable mention selection in 2020 and a second-team honoree in 2019. In 2020, he also was selected an All-Big 12 Conference first team performer by Phil Steele and Pro Football Focus and a second-team selection by the Associated Press. He led the Mountaineers in tackles for loss (10.5) and was tied for No. 11 in the Big 12 Conference. He finished with 35 tackles, including 15 unassisted tackles, two sacks, a fumble recovery and two pass breakups.
Selections for the preseason individual awards were quarterback Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma) as Offensive Player of the Year, linebacker Mike Rose (Iowa State) as Defensive Player of the Year and running back Eric Gray (Oklahoma) as Newcomer of the Year.
The Big 12 media preseason poll will be released on Thursday, followed by the annual Big 12 Football Media Days presented by Academy Sports and Outdoors, to be conducted in Arlington, Texas, on July 14-15. Both days will be televised live from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET on ESPNU and Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Exclusive coverage from the event will also be available on the Big 12’s digital platforms: Big12Sports.com and Twitter and Instagram (@Big12Conference).
TWEET @dompostsports
