MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — For the year they first had him, West Virginia coaches adored David Sills’ athleticism, football IQ and willing dexterity.
The six months Sills played at El Camino College left coach Gifford Lindheim with the same glowing impression.
“David is one of the best kids I’ve ever coached, he really is,” Lindheim told me after Sills re-signed with the Mountaineers. “I can’t say enough good things about David the person. And I know he’s a hungry competitive football player, but long after football, David’s going to be a great contributor to our society and be very successful in life.”
Had Sills remained at West Virginia last summer, he likely never would have played a down at quarterback. Transferring to El Camino provided a chance to scratch that itch, to try full-time quarterbacking again before taking the alternate route to receiver. West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen understood this and left open the possibility for a return.
Sills won the starting job at El Camino during preseason camp by showing dual-threat abilities and remained the starter all season. The experiment was hardly a washout — he passed for 1,636 yards with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions, ran for 258 yards and five scores. Yet the chance to play quarterback at a Power 5 program wasn’t going to resurface; the chance to play receiver was.
“He had other opportunities at different places to do different things — as a guy with his skill set would,” Lindheim said. “We saw a skill set of a guy who’s 6-5, can run, is a competitor, is coachable and athletic.
“West Virginia has already seen him up close and they know what kind of guy he is,” he said. “If anything, I hope we’re returning David as even a better player who’s had an experience that will only make him a better receiver at West Virginia.”