West Virginia All-Decade Team: 2010s
As the decade the decade comes to a close, a lot has happened for West Virginia. Three different coaches, switching from the Big East to the Big 12, multiple bowl wins, tons of NFL talent, and much more.
So it had Mountaineer Maven thinking -- who would be on the all-decade team for the Mountaineers?
Quarterback
Geno Smith 2009-2012
Smith ranks first in school history with 11,662 passing yards and 98 touchdowns. He threw for a school record 4,385 yards in 2011, and a second-best 4,205 in 2012. Smith also threw for a school record 42 touchdowns in 2012.
During the 2012 contest against Baylor, he broke two school records after throwing for 656 yards and eight touchdowns in that game alone.
Geno ended up being drafted by the New York Jets in the 2nd round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He currently plays for the Seattle Seahawks.
Running Back
Wendell Smallwood 2013-2015
Smallwood ranks ninth all time on the schools all-time rushing yards list with 2,462. He had the fourth-best season in school history in 2015 when he rushed for 1,519 yards. Smallwood was also a capable pass-catcher, hauling in 618 yards during his career in Morgantown.
Wendell was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles as a fifth round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. He would go on to help the Eagles win a Super Bowl in 2018. He currently plays for the Washington Redskins.
Charles Sims 2013
Sims transferred from Houston and was only in Morgantown for one season, but he was able to leave a positive mark. Sims finished his senior year with the Mountaineers with 1,095 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He also had 45 catches for 401 yards and 3 touchdowns. Sims was able to be a go-to guy for the Mountaineers and bring experience to a very young backfield at the time.
Charles was drafted by the Tampa Bay Bucs in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Wide Receiver
Tavon Austin 2009-2012
Tavon ranks first in school history in career receptions with 288 and receiving yards with 3,413. He ranks third in school history with 29 receiving touchdowns. He finished his career at West Virginia first in school history in total all-purpose yards with 7,286.
But everyone remembers Tavon from his famous game versus Oklahoma in 2012 where he had 527 total yards which included 344 yards on the ground -- another school record.
Tavon ended up becoming a first round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft to the Saint Louis Rams. He currently is playing for the Dallas Cowboys.
Stedman Bailey 2010-2012
Calling Stedman Robin to Tavon's Batman isn't enough credit for Stedman. Bailey ended his great West Virginia career ranking second in receptions with 210 and receiving yards with 3,218. He ranks first in total receiving yards in one season in 2012 when he totalled 1,622. He finished first in receiving touchdowns with 41 and had a school best 25 in one season in 2012.
Bailey's breakout game was in 2012 versus Baylor when he caught a school record 303 yards and five touchdowns.
Bailey was drafted by the Saint Louis Rams in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Tight End
Trevon Wesco 2016-2018
Wesco appeared in 35 games during his time in Morgantown and didn't put up as big numbers as others on this list, but it was his toughness that landed him here. Despite only having 28 career catches and two touchdowns, Wesco was a dependable option for the Mountaineer offense. Tight ends weren't a big part of Dana Holgorsen's offensive scheme but Wesco was able to make himself useful.
Wesco is a Martinsburg, WV native and was able to play for his home state for three strong years.
Trevon was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Offensive Line
G Mark Glowinski 2012-2014
Glowinski was a JUCO transfer from Lackawanna College before he made his way to Morgantown. With his help in 2013, the Mountaineers had their first 1,000 yard rusher since 2009 and the team averaged 148.7 rushing yards per game that season.
Mark was a fourth round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft to the Seattle Seahawks. He is currently with the Indianapolis Colts.
T Yodny Cajuste 2015-2018
Cajuste was a three-year starter at left tackle and a major factor in the Mountaineer offense. In 2018, Yodny helped the Mountaineers average 512.3 yards of total offense per game which ranked eighth in the entire country. He was also named the Big 12 Conference Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Yodny was a third round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to the New England Patriots.
T Quinton Spain 2011-2013
Spain was one of the biggest offensive lineman West Virginia has ever had in the trenches, standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing in at a little more than 330 pounds. Spain would alternate between left guard and left tackle for the offense whenever he was needed to, and his skill set allowed him to make the change easily. Teamed up with Glowinski, Spain would help the Mountaineers establish one of the top rushing attacks in the Big 12.
He is currently playing for the Buffalo Bills after a few years with the Tennessee Titans after going undrafted.
C Joe Madsen 2009-2011
Madsen played in 38 career games as a Mountaineer and started every single one of them. He had the opportunity to play for two different offenses - one under Coach Stewart and then under Coach Holgorsen. Geno Smith has been on record saying that Madsen was a major part of his own success and credits Madsen for much of the Mountaineers' success.
Joe bounced around a few practice teams in the NFL and unfortunately never stuck around long enough anywhere to make an impact.
Defensive End
Bruce Irvin 2010-2011
BRUUUUUUUCE...I could stop there but I'll throw some stats up here for you to read. Irvin finished his two year career with the Mountaineers ranked fourth in school history with 22.5 sacks. He had 14 sacks alone in 2010 which ranks third-best in school history in a single season.
Mountaineer fans loved yelling his name when he got a sack or a tackle, and his love for West Virginia has continued throughout his professional career. He is always tweeting about how he keeps up with the Mountaineers and goes out of his way to take photos with West Virginia fans all over the country.
Bruce ended up becoming a first round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft to the Seattle Seahawks. He would go on to help the Seahawks win a Super Bowl 2014. Bruce is currently playing for the Carolina Panthers.
Will Clarke 2011-2013
Clarke's size on the defensive line quickly became his greatest attribute for West Virginia. His length and strength made him a menace for opposing offensive lines. Clarke finished his Mountaineer career with 110 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks.
Clarke was a third round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Defensive Tackle
Julian Miller 2008-2011
Miller ranks second in school history in sacks with 27.5 over his four year career with the Mountaineers. He had back-to-back years with nine sacks in 2009 and 2010. Mountaineer fans will always remember Miller's last home game in Morgantown when the Mountaineers defeated Pitt 21-20 with Miller supplying the game-sealing sack. When tag teamed with Bruce, these two were a force.
Darius Stills 2018-present
Stills numbers are still growing with the Mountaineers as he continues to cement his name in West Virginia history. Being a native of Fairmont, WV, Stills shows a lot of pride in his play and knows he is playing for the 1.8 million West Virginians that support him.
Middle Linebacker
Nick Kwiatkoski 2014-2015
Kwiatkoski was the heart and soul of the Mountaineer defense when he was on the field. He finished his career with 189 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and three interceptions. Nick was a ball-hawk and was involved in every play. Offenses did their best to run their plays around Nick and where he was on the field.
Nick was drafted in the fourth round in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.
Outside Linebacker
David Long Jr 2016-2018
Long was a monster on the field and his hard hits made waves for the Mountaineer defense. Long finished his career with 252 tackles, 40 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. He was awarded the 2018 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year during his best season with West Virginia.
David was a sixth round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to the Tennessee Titans.
Najee Goode 2008-2011
Goode was one of the best tacklers during the decade and not many defenders got away from him once he got a hand on them. Goode bounced around the defense and played multiple positions and because of his speed and strength, he was able to be successful all over the field. Goode played very well in his final game as a Mountaineer in the 2012 Orange Bowl as he helped the Mountaineers slow down the Clemson Tigers who had one of the best offenses in the country that season.
Najee was a 5th round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft to the Tampa Bay Bucs. He would go on to help the Eagles win a Super Bowl in 2018. He currently plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Cornerback
Rasul Douglas 2015-2016
Douglas was a JUCO transfer and only played two seasons in Morgantown, but ranks second in school history with eight interceptions in one season. He would finish with nine career interceptions. Douglas would always match up against the opposing teams best receiver and would usually slow down the opposing teams offensive attack.
Most remember Douglas's pick-six against BYU, which helped the Mountaineers regain momentum in that game and put him on the NFL scout's radar.
Rasul was a third round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft to the Philadelphia Eagles. He would go on to help the Eagles win a Super Bowl in 2018.
Keith Tandy 2008-2011
Tandy was one of the best corners in the Big East when he played for West Virginia. He finished his career with 13 interceptions, 20 pass deflection, and 188 tackles. Tandy was always involved on every play no matter if it was run or pass. Despite being a tad smaller than most corners, Tandy played with a 'Mountaineer Mentality' and played bigger than his sized should allow.
Keith was a sixth round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft to the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Saftey
Karl Joseph 2012-2015
Joseph is one of the best players to ever wear the Old Gold and Blue. His hard hits and smart play brought excitement to Morgantown. Joseph finished his career with 274 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, two sacks, nine interceptions, and five forced fumbles.
Most Mountaineer fans first memory of Joseph was his big hit against Texas that knocked out a Longhorn receiver and on YouTube is titled "Karl Jospeh kills a man in Texas"
Karl would end up becoming a first round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft to the Oakland Raiders
Kyzir White 2016-2017
Kyzir was one of the three famous White brothers to play for the Mountaineers. After his brothers Kevin and Ka'Raun came to Morgantown and played well, Kyzir joined them and helped grow their family name in West Virginia. White would finish his career with 100 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and three interceptions. White was a leader on the field and would help create impact plays on defense. Opposing offenses would throw and run to the side of the field that he was not assigned to.
Kyzir was a fourth round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft to the Los Angeles Chargers
Kicker
Josh Lambert 2013-2016
Lambert was one of the best kickers in Mountaineer history and he ranks second in school history with 69 made field goals and finished with a field goal percentage of 75%. He holds the record for most field goals in one season with 30 in 2014.
Punter
Nick O’Toole 2013-2015
'Boomstache' was one of the best punters that West Virginia has ever had. He finished with 201 punts that averaged 43.9 yards per punt and totaled 8,824 yards. No matter what his location was on the field, O'Toole was able to put the ball where he wanted it to go and give the opposing team poor field position.
Honorable Mentions: KJ Dillon, Kevin White, Shelton Gibson, Gary Jennings Jr, David Sills V, Daryl Worley, Will Grier, Shaquille Riddick, Mario Alford, Brandon Hogan, Robert Sands, JT Thomas, Chris Neild, Darwin Cook
Who did we leave off the list? Who do you agree with or disagree with? Please comment below and/or in the Facebook post or Tweet.
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