DALLAS (Sept. 26, 2024) – West Virginia University senior quarterback Garrett Greene has been named to the watch list for the eighth annual Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award as announced by the organization.

The student-athletes, nominated by their schools, have all demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.

The full list of includes:


Cameron Ball, Arkansas
Justin Barron, Syracuse
Dylan Black, Oregon State
Alan Bowman, Oklahoma State
Zachariah Branch, Southern California
Nathan Carter, Michigan State
Brandon Cleveland, NC State
Brady Cook, Missouri
Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
Ajani Cornelius, Oregon
Luke Deal, Auburn
Beau Freyler, Iowa State
Jacob Gardner, Colorado State
Brandon George, Pittsburgh
Isaac Gifford, Nebraska
Garrett Greene, West Virginia
Gus Hartwig, Purdue
Ahmed Hassanein, Boise State
Jason Henderson, Old Dominion
Seth Henigan, Memphis
Alex Huntley, South Carolina
Isaiah Jacobs, UAB
Tim Keenan III, Alabama
Kevin Knowles II, Florida State
Jaylin Lane, Virginia Tech
Drew Lawson, Southern Mississippi
Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
Phil Mafah, Clemson
Jake Majors, Texas
Marcellus Marshall, UCF
Bru McCoy, Tennessee
Fernando Mendoza, California
Austin Moore, Kansas State
Taylor Morin, Wake Forest
Nick Nash, San Jose State
Devin Neal, Kansas
Jerjuan Newton, Toledo
NaNa Osafo-Mensah, TCU
Will Pauling, Wisconsin
Albert Reese, Mississippi State
Albert Regis, Texas A&M
Kaimon Rucker, North Carolina
Quinn Schulte, Iowa
Cody Simon, Ohio State
Tristan Sinclair, Stanford
Donovan Smith, Houston
Logan Taylor, Hawai’i
Dante Trader, Jr., Maryland
Jalon Walker, Georgia
Davis Warren, Michigan
J.J. Weaver, Kentucky
Jackson Woodard, UNLV



Twenty semifinalists will be announced on October 22. Three finalists will be named for the award on Monday, December 16. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on February 12, 2025.

Last year, Mike Hollins of Virginia won the seventh annual award. The first six Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year awards were presented to Shaquem Griffin of UCF in 2017, D’Cota Dixon of Wisconsin in 2018, Trey Smith of Tennessee in 2019, Sam Ehlinger of Texas in 2020, Joshua Paschal of Kentucky in 2021 and Deslin Alexandre of Pittsburgh in 2022.

The award, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field. Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport, served as one of football’s most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.

The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school’s athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten’s SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle. The SCORE Foundation, founded in 2007, has positively impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee over the last 16 years. The foundation operates its nationally-recognized SCOREkeepers program, which places trained male mentors on staff to work with children at family violence shelters, at nine shelters in the two states.

There will be a total of 129 players on the field Saturday who were rated as 4-star or 5-star in high school.

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??

Looks like UNLV's NIL commitment didn't come through. If you watched the UNLV/Kansas game, you saw the QBs talent. I know WVU may not have as much NIL as other schools but I sure hope we always deliver on the commitments made.

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LINK: https://shorturl.at/Gc3ro

SCHEDULE: https://wvusports.com/sports/womens-basketball/schedule

SEASON TICKETS: https://wvuga.me/24wbbbig12schedule926



MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Sept. 26, 2024) – West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and the women’s basketball team, in conjunction with the Big 12 Conference, released the 2024-25 league schedule on Thursday.



WVU will face three Big 12 opponents twice in Cincinnati, Colorado and Oklahoma and then face the remaining 12 conference foes once, six at home and six on the road. Opponents were selected based on a combination of geography, historical results and a poll of the coaches to best balance the schedule in terms of travel and competitiveness.



The current league members combined to go 8-0 in their first game of the 2024 NCAA Tournament while 15 of the 16 teams finished the 2023-24 season in the top 101 of the NET rankings. Four Big 12 teams are ranked in the top 16 of ESPN’s Women’s Basketball Way-Too-Early Top 25, tied for the most of any league.



The Mountaineers begin this year’s conference slate on the road on Saturday, Dec. 21, when they trek to Colorado for a showdown in Boulder at CU Events Center. The matchup with the Buffalos with be the first for Colorado in the Big 12 Conference since rejoining the league.



New to the conference this season are Arizona, Arizona State and Utah. Both Arizona programs and Colorado made NCAA Tournament appearances last season.



West Virginia then returns home for a two-game stand, holding their Big 12 home opener against UCF on Wednesday, Jan. 1, at the WVU Coliseum in a New Year's Day showdown. The home stint continues Saturday, Jan. 4, when WVU hosts BYU.



WVU embarks on a two-game road trip, beginning with a Wednesday, Jan. 8, contest against Texas Tech at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. West Virginia concludes the two-game swing on Saturday, Jan. 11, against Oklahoma State at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma.



The Mountaineers return to Morgantown on Wednesday, Jan. 15, and close out the season series with Colorado inside the WVU Coliseum. WVU then hosts Iowa State in a Sunday, Jan. 19, matchup with the Cyclones.



Next up, the Mountaineers face two Big 12 newcomers on the road in Arizona State and Arizona. West Virginia opens the road trip with Arizona State on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe before closing things out against Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 25, inside the McKale Center in Tuscon.



Another two-game home stint brings Oklahoma State to Morgantown, for a Saturday, Feb. 1, contest. Four days later WVU is set to take on Kanas on Wednesday, Feb. 5.



WVU then travels to the Lonestar State for two contests. WVU opens play in Texas against Houston on Saturday, Feb. 8 inside the Fertitta Center. The Mountaineers continue their road trip against Baylor on Tuesday, Feb. 11, inside Foster Pavilion.



The Mountaineers then return to Morgantown for two more home contests. West Virginia plays host to Cincinnati on Saturday, Feb. 15 before taking on Kansas State on Monday, Feb. 17.



WVU is set to head back to Texas, this time to Fort Worth for a contest against TCU on Sunday, Feb. 23. The Mountaineers then host its final regular season home game against Utah on Wednesday, Feb. 26.



West Virginia is set to conclude its 2024-25 regular season on Saturday, March 1, on the road against Cincinnati inside Fifth Thirds Arena.



The Mountaineers open postseason play from March 5-9, for the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship inside T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.



Game times and additional broadcast information, including TV designations, will be announced at a later date.





2024-2025 WVU Mountaineer

Women’s Basketball Schedule

Date Day Opponent Location Time

November 5 Tuesday Towson Morgantown, WV TBD

November 9 Saturday Niagara Morgantown, WV TBD

November 12 Tuesday Pitt Morgantown, WV TBD

November 15 Friday Texas A&M Morgantown, WV TBD

November 19 Tuesday Bowling Green Morgantown, WV TBD

November 22 Friday Lafayette Morgantown, WV TBD

November 29 Friday High Point! Estero, FL 1:30 PM

November 30 Saturday Boise State or Southern Ill.! Estero, FL TBD

December 1 Sunday Butler, New Mexico, Santa Clara, Texas! Estero, FL TBD

December 6 Friday East Tennessee St. Morgantown, WV 10:30am

December 15 Sunday Temple Philadelphia, PA TBD

December 21 Saturday Colorado* Boulder, CO TBA

January 1 Wednesday UCF* Morgantown, WV TBA

January 4 Saturday BYU* Morgantown, WV TBA

January 8 Wednesday Texas Tech* Lubbock, TX TBA

January 11 Saturday Oklahoma State* Stillwater, OK TBA

January 15 Wednesday Colorado* Morgantown, WV TBA

January 19 Sunday Iowa State* Morgantown, WV TBA

January 22 Wednesday Arizona State* Tempe, AZ TBA

January 25 Saturday Arizona* Tuscon, AZ TBA

February 1 Saturday Oklahoma State Morgantown, WV TBA

February 5 Wednesday Kansas* Morgantown, WV TBA

February 8 Saturday Houston* Houston, TX TBA

February 11 Tuesday Baylor* Waco, Texas TBA

February 15 Saturday Cincinnati* Morgantown, WV TBA

February 17 Monday Kansas State* Morgantown, WV TBA

February 23 Sunday TCU* Fort Worth, TX TBA

February 26 Wednesday Utah* Morgantown, WV TBA

March 1 Saturday Cincinnati* Cincinnati, OH TBA

March 5-9 Wed-Sun Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Kansas City, Mo. TBA



All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST)

* Big-12 Conference Game

! Gulf Coast Showcase

Bold games are home and Italic games are on a neutral court

LINK: https://shorturl.at/Gc3ro

SCHEDULE: https://wvusports.com/sports/womens-basketball/schedule

SEASON TICKETS: https://wvuga.me/24wbbbig12schedule926



MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Sept. 26, 2024) – West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and the women’s basketball team, in conjunction with the Big 12 Conference, released the 2024-25 league schedule on Thursday.



WVU will face three Big 12 opponents twice in Cincinnati, Colorado and Oklahoma and then face the remaining 12 conference foes once, six at home and six on the road. Opponents were selected based on a combination of geography, historical results and a poll of the coaches to best balance the schedule in terms of travel and competitiveness.



The current league members combined to go 8-0 in their first game of the 2024 NCAA Tournament while 15 of the 16 teams finished the 2023-24 season in the top 101 of the NET rankings. Four Big 12 teams are ranked in the top 16 of ESPN’s Women’s Basketball Way-Too-Early Top 25, tied for the most of any league.



The Mountaineers begin this year’s conference slate on the road on Saturday, Dec. 21, when they trek to Colorado for a showdown in Boulder at CU Events Center. The matchup with the Buffalos with be the first for Colorado in the Big 12 Conference since rejoining the league.



New to the conference this season are Arizona, Arizona State and Utah. Both Arizona programs and Colorado made NCAA Tournament appearances last season.



West Virginia then returns home for a two-game stand, holding their Big 12 home opener against UCF on Wednesday, Jan. 1, at the WVU Coliseum in a New Year's Day showdown. The home stint continues Saturday, Jan. 4, when WVU hosts BYU.



WVU embarks on a two-game road trip, beginning with a Wednesday, Jan. 8, contest against Texas Tech at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. West Virginia concludes the two-game swing on Saturday, Jan. 11, against Oklahoma State at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma.



The Mountaineers return to Morgantown on Wednesday, Jan. 15, and close out the season series with Colorado inside the WVU Coliseum. WVU then hosts Iowa State in a Sunday, Jan. 19, matchup with the Cyclones.



Next up, the Mountaineers face two Big 12 newcomers on the road in Arizona State and Arizona. West Virginia opens the road trip with Arizona State on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe before closing things out against Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 25, inside the McKale Center in Tuscon.



Another two-game home stint brings Oklahoma State to Morgantown, for a Saturday, Feb. 1, contest. Four days later WVU is set to take on Kanas on Wednesday, Feb. 5.



WVU then travels to the Lonestar State for two contests. WVU opens play in Texas against Houston on Saturday, Feb. 8 inside the Fertitta Center. The Mountaineers continue their road trip against Baylor on Tuesday, Feb. 11, inside Foster Pavilion.



The Mountaineers then return to Morgantown for two more home contests. West Virginia plays host to Cincinnati on Saturday, Feb. 15 before taking on Kansas State on Monday, Feb. 17.



WVU is set to head back to Texas, this time to Fort Worth for a contest against TCU on Sunday, Feb. 23. The Mountaineers then host its final regular season home game against Utah on Wednesday, Feb. 26.



West Virginia is set to conclude its 2024-25 regular season on Saturday, March 1, on the road against Cincinnati inside Fifth Thirds Arena.



The Mountaineers open postseason play from March 5-9, for the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship inside T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.



Game times and additional broadcast information, including TV designations, will be announced at a later date.





2024-2025 WVU Mountaineer

Women’s Basketball Schedule

Date Day Opponent Location Time

November 5 Tuesday Towson Morgantown, WV TBD

November 9 Saturday Niagara Morgantown, WV TBD

November 12 Tuesday Pitt Morgantown, WV TBD

November 15 Friday Texas A&M Morgantown, WV TBD

November 19 Tuesday Bowling Green Morgantown, WV TBD

November 22 Friday Lafayette Morgantown, WV TBD

November 29 Friday High Point! Estero, FL 1:30 PM

November 30 Saturday Boise State or Southern Ill.! Estero, FL TBD

December 1 Sunday Butler, New Mexico, Santa Clara, Texas! Estero, FL TBD

December 6 Friday East Tennessee St. Morgantown, WV 10:30am

December 15 Sunday Temple Philadelphia, PA TBD

December 21 Saturday Colorado* Boulder, CO TBA

January 1 Wednesday UCF* Morgantown, WV TBA

January 4 Saturday BYU* Morgantown, WV TBA

January 8 Wednesday Texas Tech* Lubbock, TX TBA

January 11 Saturday Oklahoma State* Stillwater, OK TBA

January 15 Wednesday Colorado* Morgantown, WV TBA

January 19 Sunday Iowa State* Morgantown, WV TBA

January 22 Wednesday Arizona State* Tempe, AZ TBA

January 25 Saturday Arizona* Tuscon, AZ TBA

February 1 Saturday Oklahoma State Morgantown, WV TBA

February 5 Wednesday Kansas* Morgantown, WV TBA

February 8 Saturday Houston* Houston, TX TBA

February 11 Tuesday Baylor* Waco, Texas TBA

February 15 Saturday Cincinnati* Morgantown, WV TBA

February 17 Monday Kansas State* Morgantown, WV TBA

February 23 Sunday TCU* Fort Worth, TX TBA

February 26 Wednesday Utah* Morgantown, WV TBA

March 1 Saturday Cincinnati* Cincinnati, OH TBA

March 5-9 Wed-Sun Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Kansas City, Mo. TBA



All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST)

* Big-12 Conference Game

! Gulf Coast Showcase

Bold games are home and Italic games are on a neutral court

A few highlights:

Barry Odom, UNLV Rebels : He's unquestionably the top Group of 5 coach in this year's market. Odom has several factors working in his favor, including his continued success with the Rebels. After leading UNLV to the Mountain West championship game in his first season, Odom recorded two road wins against Big 12 opponents -- Houston and Kansas -- in the first three games. Odom, 47, came to UNLV from Arkansas, which could soon have an opening and likely would consider a former successful defensive coordinator. He also was far from a disaster as head coach at Missouri, going 25-25 with bowl-eligible teams in each of his final three seasons. Odom also should be on the radar at Baylor, as athletic director Mack Rhoades promoted him to head coach while at Missouri. Odom's background is on defense, but he has hired a notable group of offensive coordinators, including Josh Heupel and current OC Brennan Marion. (Of course, Odom's job at UNLV just got a lot harder as QB Matthew Sluka announced he won't be playing again this year due to "representations" that were not upheld.)

Alex Golesh, South Florida Bulls: Golesh has stabilized an underachieving South Florida program in his first head-coaching opportunity and could soon move up to a bigger job. The 40-year-old brings an appealing mix of exciting offense and pedal-down recruiting, and he has worked in different regions of the country. Golesh lacks a clear signature win at USF, but his teams competed with Alabama in each of his two seasons, and pushed Miami in the first half last week. He should also be helped by the blistering success of Heupel's offense, which he helped coordinate at both UCF and Tennessee before coming to South Florida. Golesh also spent time under Iowa State coach Matt Campbell and could be a fit both in the Southeast and Midwest.

Jamey Chadwell, Liberty Flames: Chadwell is no stranger to this type of list, and he comes off of a Fiesta Bowl appearance following the 2023 season. He's 17-1 since coming to Liberty from Coastal Carolina and 47-7 since the start of the 2020 season. Chadwell's offenses are annually among the most efficient and productive in the country. He's 115-58 overall as a head coach at five programs -- two FBS, one FCS, two Division II. The hesitancy on Chadwell, 47, continues to be his zero Power 4 experience, not even as a low-level assistant. He also makes more than $4 million annually at Liberty, so he has less incentive to leave for just any Power 4 opportunity. But the Tennessee native has coached all over the ACC and SEC footprint and could be an interesting choice for the right opening.

Jake Dickert, Washington State Cougars: There is a lot to like about Dickert's profile, which has kept improving this season. He already has been a Power 4 coach before the Pac-12 breakup, took over a very difficult situation in 2021, won the Apple Cup and made the first of two bowl games. Dickert guided Washington State through another difficult time last summer and has his team at 4-0 with another dramatic Apple Cup win in Seattle. His overall record of 19-16 doesn't jump out per se, but he owns two wins against Wisconsin, two against Washington and one against a top-15 Oregon State last fall. The 41-year-old spent time at top FCS programs North Dakota State and South Dakota State early in his career and understands how to build programs that lack endless resources.

Bob Chesney, James Madison Dukes: Chesney is somewhat similar to Sumrall. Both surely will be Power 4 coaches if they maintain their trajectories, but both are in their first seasons - and for Chesney, his first at an FBS program. Chesney, 47, already has a signature win from last week's historic 70-50 triumph against North Carolina. He went 44-21 at Holy Cross with three top-25 finishes, and was in the mix at Syracuse before coming to JMU. Chesney has strong ties to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, and he could soon be a strong candidate for ACC, Big Ten and certain Big 12 jobs.

Penn State Nittany Lions offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki: The impact he has had on programs is profound and soon could vault him into leading his own team. Kotelnicki, 44, helped transform Kansas under coach Lance Leipold, as the Jayhawks ranked fifth nationally in yards per play and 18th in scoring during Kotelnicki's final two seasons as coordinator. Kansas seemingly misses him, too, as the team is 1-3 this fall. Penn State, which struggled mightily to generate explosive plays last season, is fifth nationally in yards per play and seventh in yards per game, after setting a team total offense record with 718 yards Saturday against Kent State. "He's going to be a hot name, with what he did at Buffalo and Kansas," an industry source said. Kotelnicki is a Minnesota native who has spent the bulk of his career in the Midwest and could be an interesting fit for Big Ten, ACC or certain Big 12 jobs.

Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson: The Hurricanes are firmly in the CFP mix thanks to an explosive offense -- No. 2 nationally in yards, No. 4 in scoring -- led by quarterback Cam Ward, a top Heisman Trophy candidate. There will be continued intrigue around Ward and the Canes, which should help Dawson, 47, on his fifth stint as an FBS coordinator. Dawson has had some mixed results but operates an exciting Air Raid-style scheme and comes from the Hal Mumme coaching tree. The Louisiana native might need to replicate the production after Ward departs -- "This year puts him on the radar for next year," an industry source said -- but could generate interest for jobs in the South and Southeast.

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What is the speculated CB two deep coming out of the bye week? Thanks

Ok so per SB Nation the Pac's plan:

Phase 1: Poach the top of the Mountain West

Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, and San Diego State. (They accepted.)


Phase 2: Convince the top of the American to join the PAC-12, carving out a role as the undisputed fifth-best conference in FBS.

Memphis, Tulane, USF, and UTSA. (They turned them down)


So, then they grab Gonzaga and give them a full share even though they don't have football?

Now they consider Utah State a top candidate. PAC'n it up conference

Wonder if the MW defectors can still change their minds, as IMHO they are headed to a worse conference than they are currently in.

"I don’t talk to our guys a ton about shot selection. I want our guys to be very aggressive, I want them to be confident and if we need to pull them back a little bit then we will. But the last thing you can do as a shooter and a scorer is having them looking over their shoulder. I want them to kind of figure it out on their own and most of the time that happens. Guys figure out I haven’t made the step back three in three months, maybe I shouldn’t try that in the first game, and I think it evolves from there. I want guys that can score to feel they got the green light to go do that and they can play at a different level. 26 years, the scout team you see those guys in the practice tape and they're dominating practice and then you take that scout team jersey off and put the other uniform off it’s like they get scared. Because on the scout team they have all this freedom and they don’t have to worry about getting yelled at and play the other team’s best player and play at a different level. That’s how I want our guys to play with that type of confidence."

Every week this season, at least one publication has ranked WVU’s uniforms among the best. Personally, I don't care much about what the team wears, but I fully recognize how important it is from a marketing perspective and to recruits. It's important in those areas and we should at least acknowledge that.