MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The blurry footage of No. 55 flattening a quarterback brings chills to Dante Stills.
It’s the tape of West Virginia beating Marshall in 1997, with Gary Stills blasting off the edge and repeatedly collapsing quarterback Chad Pennington. Dad’s four-sack game, played three years before Dante was born, remains a favorite piece of motivational nostalgia.
“That’s how I got some of my game — I watched him,” Dante said. “He got off the ball real quick. He didn’t hesitate.
“That (1997) game is my favorite game to watch. It gives me cold chills, because at one point I could be doing that in college football.”
At Fairmont Senior High, one of the nation’s elite defensive ends wears the same No. 55 his dad sported with the Mountaineers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Growing up only 20 minutes from Morgantown — where his father remains second on WVU’s all-time sacks list, and older brother Darius signed with the Mountaineers last February — Stills senses the expectations to extend the family legacy. Many recruiting analysts suspect he’ll ultimately stay close to home, though he’s feeling the pull from schools like Florida, Oklahoma, Miami, Virginia Tech and Penn State.
“It’s going to be a hard choice. I’ve lived in West Virginia my whole life,” he said. “My dad and my brother, they both want me to pick the right choice but also they want me to stay. My mom wants me to stay, too. But I have to make the right decision for myself.”
The thought of playing alongside his brother remains enticing. In fact, they spent Sunday running Law School Hill around the construction at Milan Puskar Stadium. Now, other schools will get their chance. Stills told MetroNews “Sportsline” he plans to take all five official visits in order to evaluate the atmospheres other marquee programs have to offer.
Rated among Rivals top-10 defensive ends in the 2018 class, the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Stills earned another nugget of recognition this week upon being selected for Nike’s The Opening. That camp assembles the nation’s top 166 prospects June 28 through July 3 in Beaverton, Ore.
“I only get one college football recruiting process,” he said. “I’m just trying to enjoy it, take it slow and make sure I pick the right college where I can spend four or five years.