Dana Holgorsen hasn't relied on many West Virginia natives to win 46 games in six seasons as Mountaineers' head coach. That may change in 2018 and beyond.
Dante Stills, a four-star (247Sports) defensive end/tackle recruit from Fairmont, W.V., committed to West Virginia on Thursday. Not only a rare highly touted in-state recruit, he's also one of the highest-rated recruits in program history. If Stills signs, he'll be the program's highest-rated recruit since 2010 (Ivan McCartney and Bruce Irvin).
"I honestly think there is something special going on at West Virginia," Stills, who had 50 tackles and six sacks last year, told Rivals. "The athletes that are committed there right now are the real deal. People talk about stars but I think these guys are the real deal. I’ll be able to handle business with my brothers. We can do so much in the Big 12. I know the environment and the atmosphere so well and I’m up there all the time to see my brother."
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His brother is Darius Stills, a freshman defensive tackle for the Mountaineers who was a three-star prospect from Fairmont. Since Holgorsen arrived in December 2010, he has signed just 11 in-state three-star players. It's not because the seventh-year head coach doesn't want in-state players; it's because the Mountain State isn't littered with Power Five talent.
"West Virginia is a little bit of a melting pot," Holgorsen said of bringing out-of-state players to Morgantown. "We don't get many high school kids from West Virginia, probably zero to two a year. So we've got to go everywhere, and part of what has enabled us to be able to have a lot of success is to get some good transfers."
Stills is the top-ranked player in the state, No. 141 player in the country and No. 6 strong-side defensive end. He also had offers from Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and others.
