Stills Chases and Makes History

“It means everything. Those guys were great players and put everything they had into this program and it’s just an honor and I’m blessed to be able to do it here at home,” said Stills.

Stills produced 28.5 tackles for a loss in his first three seasons, 20 stops behind the line from the record but said the renovations at the stadium brought it to his attention.

“I didn’t know how far I was until this whole place was redone,” he said. “I didn’t even know what the record was until they put it up two years ago, so then I started chasing it, then I realized I have a chance. It’s a great feeling but I’d trade it for the win any day.”

He registered at least one tackle for a loss in 10 of his 13 appearances last season, but has not had the same success this season, recording five TFL’s through eight games, but his impact is still felt on the field.

“His time here is really just the growth in him from a young player to an old player and how he plays the game,” said WVU defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley. “I never look at stats when it comes to that, I look at how you play the position you’re being asked to play, and so, Dante has played more complete games this season as an interior defensive lineman and some on the edge, which he’s good at both.”

“Dante’s going to be a pro. He’s a pro player, he has a pro skillset obviously,” added Lesley. Also noting Stills’ attention to detail will give him a shot at the NFL.

“Really him as kid and a player is just the growth over the last four years, something we’ve always talked about, playing within his fundamentals and his scheme and then obviously using his size and athleticism his power his speed when he has such a unique combination of all of those things, that’s what’s going to give him an opportunity at the next level.”

Despite Stills’ success, he’s eager to create separation on the all-time TFL list, hitting his jersey number 55 for his career total is intriguing but at the end of the day, it’s continuing to grow.

“I still feel like I can still improve on so much of my game. I still feel like I need to do more for the team," he said.

Stills will look to add to his total Saturday as the Mountaineers head west to Ames, IA to square off against the Iowa State Cyclones at 3:30 p.m. EST.