WVU Director of Athletics Shane Lyons releases statement regarding conference realignment

Welcome, By-Godders, to The Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU’s best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor, and daily distractions.

Football

Younger Stills Ready to Fly Solo in 2021

For the first time since he signed with West Virginia four years ago, senior defensive tackle Dante Stills is preparing to play without his brother Darius. Dante earned Associated Press All-Big 12 Second Team honors in 2020 after producing 10.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks in just 10 games.

Raleigh Collins becomes West Virginia’s 15th commit for Class of 2022

Raleigh Collins III, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound hybrid defender, became the 15th commitment in West Virginia’s 2022 recruiting class. Collins, a 3-star prospect, is a rising senior at Neumann-Goretti High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and played at Caravel Academy in Bear, Delaware, before joining the South Philly powerhouse that also produced WVU running back Leddie Brown.

New Seeker Technology to Assist WVU’s Skill Players

Earlier this month, West Virginia partnered with The Seeker to improve its players’ pass-catching skills. The Seeker, developed by Monarc, is touted as the world’s “first robotic quarterback” and will allow players to utilize the technology on their own without the aid of another player throwing them footballs.

Basketball

WVU men’s basketball adds James Okonkwo

Forward James Okonkwo has signed a grant-in-aid to attend and play basketball for West Virginia during the 2021-22 academic year. Okonkwo is a native of Maidenhead, England, and came to the United States last August, where he attended Beckley Prep in Beckley, West Virginia.

West Virginia Athletics

Statement from WVU Director of Athletics Shane Lyons

West Virginia University Director of Athletics and Associate Vice President Shane Lyons has released a statement regarding the news of a joint exit from the Big 12 Conference by Texas and Oklahoma and the future of conference realignment in college athletics.

Gov. Justice, other onlookers sound off as Oklahoma, Texas bolt from Big 12

As another round of conference realignment now appears imminent, Governor Jim Justice is in West Virginia University’s corner. In an exclusive interview, he said that he will do whatever he can to ensure that WVU ends this saga in a favorable position.

WVU, Duquesne agree on schedule change

The West Virginia women’s soccer team’s nonconference match against Duquesne is now scheduled for Sunday, August 29th, at 5 p.m. ET.

Mountaineers named GCAA All-Academic Team

The West Virginia golf team was named an All-Academic Team by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

Deal done: McIntosh signs with Marlins as undrafted free agent

Senior Paul McIntosh of the West Virginia baseball team has signed a professional contract with the Miami Marlins. McIntosh was named an All-Big 12 honorable mention selection after hitting .256 with eight home runs and 26 RBI in 2021.

Raiders place Stills on non-football injury list

One day after rookies reported for pre-training camp, the Las Vegas Raiders placed former Mountaineer defensive lineman Darius Stills on the non-football injury list.

Around the Big 12

Texas, Oklahoma inform Big 12 of plans to exit, opening door for negotiations with SEC

Texas and Oklahoma took the first step in severing ties with the Big 12 Conference, informing the league they do not intend to extend their grant-of-rights agreements with the conference when they expire in 2025.

Will Texas, Oklahoma really move to the SEC? We answer the biggest questions

Why are Texas and Oklahoma deciding to do this now? What happens to the remaining Big 12 programs? These questions and more are answered in this breakdown of the domino effect of OU and Texas leaving the Big 12.

Oklahoma State Cowboys president Kayse Shrum blasts Oklahoma Sooners in statement

Oklahoma State president Kayse Shrum said that Oklahoma’s intentions to explore leaving the Big 12 are “the result of months of planning with the SEC” and a “clear breach” of the conference bylaws.

Around the NCAA

UCLA Bruins, Gonzaga Bulldogs to play in rematch of epic Final Four game Nov. 23 in Las Vegas

Preseason top-five teams Gonzaga and UCLA are set to square off in November in Las Vegas as part of the Empire Classic. The game will be a rematch of their Final Four game a few months ago that ended with a Bulldog victory.

Missouri Tigers AD Jim Sterk to step down after five years; will remain until replacement found

Missouri and its athletic director, Jim Sterk, have announced that they have mutually agreed he will step down once the school is able to find his replacement.

Green Bay Packers craft list of concessions to entice Aaron Rodgers to return at least one more season, sources say

To ensure the return of their reigning NFL MVP quarterback, the Packers now are offering concessions to try to persuade Aaron Rodgers to return to Green Bay for at least one more season.

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