MORGANTOWN — WVU safety Sean Mahone said he gets picked on a little bit by his younger teammates for being the old guy in the room, and for good reason.
Some of the younger players were in middle school when Mahone first joined the Mountaineers in 2016, but because of a free year of eligibility granted by the NCAA because of a COVID-19-affected 2020 season, he’s playing his sixth year of college football.
“Evan Staley and I both came in in 2016, so they definitely joke around, calling us the old heads and everything,” Mahone said with a laugh.
With just three games left this season, Mahone could potentially play in 55 in his career, one of the longest tenures ever for a Mountaineer. While he’s more worried at the task at hand — trying to get WVU (4-5, 2-4 Big 12) bowl eligible — there is an itch in the back of his mind reminding him this chapter will soon come to a close.
But it’s also something Mahone has been prepared for for a while. Already earning two degrees, including a master’s, Mahone is currently taking just a few undergrad courses to stay eligible to play football. While he’ll likely give an NFL career a shot, life after football is something he’s readied himself for.
While he admittedly wasn’t the best student in high school, Mahone realized it would be silly not to take full advantage of his football scholarship and buckled down during his college career to earn several all-academic honors over the last six years.
That all paid off two weeks ago when he was named a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, given annually to the “absolute best in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership,” according to the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class website.
“I was shocked, but I was very proud and grateful for being selected as one of the 14 finalists, it meant a lot,” Mahone said. “Being able to tell my parents, it meant a lot to them. I’m very proud and it’s a really big honor.”
All finalists will travel to Las Vegas on Dec. 7 for the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner, where the NFF will name the winner of the Campbell Trophy. The scholarship for the winner will be increased to $25,000.
Mahone graduated magna cum laude in 2020 with a degree in management information systems, then completed his master’s in May 2021 with a 3.7 GPA.
On the field, Mahone is putting up an impressive final season with the Mountaineers, tallying 61 tackles in nine starts at the “Cat” safety position, also grabbing an interception against Texas Tech and forcing a key fumble in the road win at TCU.
WVU will hit the road this weekend to take on Kansas State (6-3, 3-3) at noon Saturday.
