MORGANTOWN — While the loss of Akheem Mesidor throws a wrench in the plans of what was supposed to be an experienced defensive line for WVU, the surprising return of Dante Stills can arguably offset Mesidor’s decision to transfer.
Stills, a Fairmont native who has been a staple up front for the Mountaineers since his arrival in 2018, is a super-senior using his extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19 in hopes of a more-successful ending to his college career than what the end of the 2021 season would have provided.
But coming back in 2022 was not always the plan for Stills, who has high hopes for a professional career.
“The beginning of my senior year, I wanted to leave,” he said. “That was a whole deal, but things change, and coming back, I’m having fun with my guys. We’re having a fun time in spring ball — joking and clowning each other.”
Stills also isn’t naive enough to understand his on-field production is not what it could be, either. While the stats — seven sacks and 15 tackles for loss last season — pop off the sheet, the little things were lacking.
After speaking with NFL scouts, Stills began to notice some bad habits not even he could deny.
“I went back and watched all my own film of all the games,” he said. “I did my own self-evaluation and I was like, ‘I could have done better here, here, here and here.’ What the scouts were telling me was matching up with what I watched.
“I needed to become more consistent and run to the ball more every play. I wasn’t doing that. You see the sacks, the TFLs and think, ‘He’s good enough,’ but there’s a lot more stats in a game that they want that I didn’t show.”
Stills’ older brother, Darius, opted against using his free COVID year after the 2020 season and ultimately went undrafted, though he signed free agent deals with the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs.
Dante said Darius’ experience weighed a little on his decision, but was not the biggest factor.
“No, but yes,” he said. “What I got back from the scouts showed what it showed. In my mind, I wanted to enter (the NFL) differently, a different way.”
While his pro potential was an important part of Stills returning to the Mountaineers, the team’s performance last year, especially the way it ended, fueled him to want to go out stronger.
WVU ended its season with an 18-6 loss to Minnesota in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, and Stills, a West Virginia native, knows the program is better than its 6-7 mark it finished with last season.
“I feel West Virginia deserves a championship,” he said. “I grew up here and saw a lot of greats go through here. I want to have that feeling that we were finally champions. We haven’t had that feeling in a while. Last year, we lost in a bowl game. We didn’t have a great record. This year is all about improving that.”
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