West Virginia senior defensive lineman Dante Stills is the lone Mountaineer to earn a spot on the 2021 All-Big 12 Conference Preseason Football Team. The team, released Wednesday, is chosen by media representatives who cover the league.
Stills, whose older brother Darius was last season’s Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, is one of five defensive linemen on the 14-member defense.
The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Stills is coming off a strong junior season in which he was an All-Big 12 honorable mention pick after recording 35 tackles, including a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and one fumble recovery.
Stills, a Fairmont native, also had a memorable sophomore season that saw him finish with 11.5 TFLs and seven sacks, while earning a spot on the all-conference second team in 2019.
Of the 30 players named to the all-conference preseason team, Oklahoma leads the way with nine and Iowa State follows with eight.
Top preseason honors went to Sooners’ quarterback Spencer Rattler as offensive player of the year, Iowa State linebacker Mike Rose as defensive player of the year and Oklahoma running back Eric Gray as newcomer of the year. Gray is a Tennessee transfer who spent the last two seasons with the Volunteers.
The Big 12 will announce the media preseason poll Thursday.
Full listing of All-Big 12 Conference Preseason Football Team