Sills continues to soar in memorable career
We all know the story.
The one that tells the journey of West Virginia senior wide receiver David Sills, who was once a USC quarterback commit as an eighth grader for Lane Kiffin. Kiffin is then fired from USC and Sills attends West Virginia and to begin developing his game at wide receiver.
He then transfers to El Camino College to chase his dream of playing quarterback at the FBS level, but returns to Morgantown to fulfill a full-time role at wide receiver.
After a breakout season that seemed to have come out of nowhere and included 18 touchdown receptions which led the country and earned him a finalist spot for the Biletnikoff Award, Sills has taken the college football world by storm heading into his final season with the Mountaineers.
This journey has been both memorable and a rollercoaster ride for Sills, but his story is far from over.
The Delaware native is in prime position for another big year and was recently named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team along with teammates Will Grier, Yodny Cajuste and David Long. The honor comes after he received Preseason All-American honors from numerous sports media outlets.
But despite these accolades, Sills’ personal expectations have remained steady.
“They haven’t really changed,” he said. “I have the same mentality going into every season playing football. This year, there’s a bigger leadership role, I feel like. The biggest thing I want to help the team out with is connecting the team, having more of a family connection, having each other’s back, having the trust when the offense needs a stop from the defense, they can trust the defense to get that.”
Part of that leadership role has involved taking an incoming freshman under his wing.
West Virginia’s incoming recruiting class consists of four freshman wide receivers in Sam James, Dillon Spalding, Bryce Wheaton and Randy Fields who have each been learning from their respective upperclassman leaders at the position.
“I’ve had Dillon and tried to teach them the things we expect them to do and how we expect them to work,” Sills said. “We’re just trying to show them the ropes. We want them to come in, and we want them to have the grind early.”
Sills’ rising popularity last season made him a focal point for opposing defenses and secondaries.
While his production slipped late last season with Grier suffering a season-ending finger injury, the Mountaineers return a highly touted receiving core bound to create mismatches, especially with the offense expected to incorporate tight ends more in the passing game.
“I feel like we have enough weapons where it’s tough for them to key in on one person because we have Gary (Jennings Jr.), who had a tremendous season last year and has had a great offseason this year,” Sills said. “He’s ready to have another great year, so if I take coverage, then he’s just going to have a huge game. If he has a huge game, then the coverage is going to go to him and we’ve got Marcus (Simms) and T.J. (Simmons) and a whole bunch of other guys.
“The young guys have come in and done a great job adapting and stuff like that. We feel confident with how we work as a receiver unit, and we’re all confident in each other,” he added.
Once unknown at the beginning of the season last year, Sills now finds himself on the front line of the team’s passing game and on top of both the Big 12 Conference and nation as far as wide receivers go.
Not bad for a former JUCO quarterback.
“I’m happy that I’m playing receiver now and I don’t look back at it at all,” Sills said in an interview with Fox Sports during Big 12 media days. “I’m having the most fun I’ve ever had playing football now.”
What matters most to Sills though are the team’s results and progress on the field.
“I really don’t pay much attention to that,” Sills said of his preseason honors and hype. “We know what our team goals are and (I) obviously have individual goals and everything like that, but right now we’re focusing on the team goals and doing everything we can to achieve them because when that happens, the individual goals will happen as well.
“Just trying to work as hard as I can, be the best that I can be and push myself everyday,” he later added.
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