The West Virginia University football team, in the face of a disappointing 6-6 season, still placed several players on the All-Big 12 team, including a pair of award winners.
Wyatt Milum, on top of being a first-team all-conference offensive lineman, was also named the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year. Defensive lineman T.J. Jackson joined Milum on the first team.
Redshirt freshman linebacker Josiah Trotter was named the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year.
Milum is the third Mountaineer to win the lineman of the year award – joining Yodny Cajuste in 2018 and Colton McKivitz in 2019 – and the first outright winner. He has played in 47 games, started 43, and has been used on 2,951 snaps over his four-year career. Milum has not allowed a sack in 34 of the past 36 games in which he played, including not allowing any over the past two seasons. He was named a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy, given to the nation’s best interior lineman.
Jackson played in all 12 games in 2024, starting nine after transferring for the 2024 season. He finished the regular season with 38 tackles, including 20 solo stops, 6.5 sacks, 13.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. He is currently ranked No. 5 in the Big 12 in sacks. He had a season-high six tackles against Pitt, Kansas and Arizona and finished with at least one tackle for loss in eight games and had at least one sack in six games.
Trotter, WVU’s first Big 12 Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year, played in all 12 games and started 11. He was the nation’s leading freshman tackler with 92 tackles, including 36 unassisted tackles, assisted on a sack, four tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and an interception. He also was WVU’s second-leading tackler and was the team’s leading tackler in five of 12 games this year. Trotter announced Wednesday that he had entered the transfer portal.
West Virginia’s honorable-mention choices include tight end Kole Taylor, offensive lineman Nick Malone, offensive lineman Tomas Rimac, kickoff/punt returner Preston Fox, defensive lineman Sean Martin and Trotter.
The Mountaineers will face No. 25 Memphis at 9 p.m. Dec. 17 in the Frisco Bowl.
