It won’t be long now.

 

West Virginia opens the 2018 season just six weeks from today. The unofficial start to the football season came earlier this week as Big 12 schools and their representatives met in Frisco, Texas for the league’s annual media days event.

 

Because college football programs are covered extensively year around now, media days may not have the same impact it once did, but it’s still a fun rallying point for those of us looking forward to another season.You already know about the hype and expectations surrounding this year’s version of the Mountaineer football team.

 

This group has as much star power as we have seen in years. In addition to being stars on the field, the group representing WVU in Frisco may have a career on the runway should football not work out.

 

In my opinion, the Mountaineers were the best dressed group at Big 12 media days. The fellas cleaned up well and looked sharp in their suits from Daniel’s of Morgantown. But, I digress. Back to the star power of the five players Dana Holgorsen took with him to the event.

 

The headliner of course, is quarterback Will Grier.

 

His Heisman Trophy campaign is no longer just hypothetical. The school jumped in the water with both feet by launching Grier7Heisman.com back on July 7. (See what they did there …Grier wears number seven and they launched the site on 7/7. I applaud the creativity).

 

David Sills was a finalist for last year’s Biletnikoff Award (best receiver in the nation) and led the country in touchdown catches. 

 

Yodny Cajuste spurned the opportunity to enter the NFL draft last spring and returns as one of the nation’s top tackle prospects. 

 

The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman recently listed Cajuste 13th among his top 50 college football freaks. 

 

Feldman writes, “The former high school basketball player from South Florida bench presses 495 and dead lifts 735. Cajuste’s 1.65 10-yard split would have bested Kolton Millers 1.67 that was the top time by any offensive lineman at the NFL Scouting Combine this year and would have beaten any time in the previous three years in Indy.”

 

Representing the defense were two stars as well.

 

Linebacker David Long is looking to play an entire season after missing the first four games last year recovering from knee surgery. The abbreviated playing schedule didn’t hamper Long’s effectiveness. He was still named All-Big 12 first team and a second team all-american by Pro Football Focus.

 

Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson told me last year that he believed Long could make every tackle in the game if that’s what he was told to do so. I don’t think Gibson was joking.

 

The fifth player representative was Dravon Askew-Henry. The senior has started every game he has been available for since arriving in Morgantown. Askew-Henry needs just 12 starts this season to pass Joe Madsen and become the school’s all-time leader in career games started.

 

This year he moves to the all-important spur position. Tony Gibson has said before, the spur is the key to the defense. The player in that position must make plays or the defense will be nowhere near where it needs to be. 

 

Having five guys the caliber of the ones listed above doesn’t guarantee success this season. 

 

Winning a championship certainly takes more than five players, but it’s one heck of a place to start.

Editor's Note: Top photo of WVU's players and Coach Dana Holgorsen at the Big 12 Media Day courtesy of WVU Sports Communications; photo by Grant Dovey. Bottom photo of David Long also from WVU Sports Communications and taken by Dale Sparks.