The Mountaineers By The Numbers: No. 1

A new series breaking down the best Mountaineer to where each jersey number at WVU

Through the years, West Virginia football has had certain jersey numbers become iconic through the play of the men who wore them. To honor this, Mountaineer Maven is beginning a new series entitled “The Mountaineers By The Numbers”, in which we will select the best player to wear each jersey number for the West Virginia Mountaineers football team.

This is an entirely subjective process and if you disagree, let us know! Every edition of the series will include one or more numbers, starting today with number one, and running all the way until 99.

Kicking off the list is,

No. 1: Tavon Austin-WR (2009-12)

One of the highest rated and most dynamic recruits in school history, expectations were high for Tavon Austin and it did not take long for him to live up to them. In his first season out of Baltimore’s Dunbar High School, he flashed his enormous potential with 151 receiving yards and 426 kick return yards.

With two of West Virginia’s top four receivers graduating in 2009, Austin was thrust up the depth chart and quickly made his name as one of the most highlight-worthy players in the nation with 787 yards on 58 catches along with eight touchdowns to his name. That miniature breakout as a sophomore showed fans across the country what he was capable of, but Austin’s junior season proved he could produce at the same level as the best receivers in the nation.

Lined up opposite Stedman Bailey and catching passes from Geno Smith, he became arguably the most dangerous big play threat in college football, scoring ten total touchdowns between receiving and returns with 2,574 all-purpose yards to his name. As the Mountaineers racked up points, the junior tallied personal accomplishments as well, earning a first team All-American nod from CBS Sports.

To cap off his ridiculously productive season, Austin became a Mountaineer icon with his performance in the 2012 Orange Bowl, hauling in 12 passes for 123 yards and an Orange Bowl-record four touchdowns as WVU obliterated the favored Clemson Tigers, 70-33.

Heading into his final season on campus, he was firmly an NFL draft prospect and he turned out to dazzle scouts even more in 2012. His 114 receptions as a senior tied the school record set by his teammate Bailey that same year and brought his career total to an all-time high of 288.

His yardage production did not trail behind either with a career-high 1,289 receiving yards handing him the school career record of 3,413. He added 643 rushing yards that season, over half of which came in the legendary receiver’s most famous performance at home against the Oklahoma Sooners.

With top three running backs Andrew Buie, Shawne Alston and Dustin Garrison battling injuries, Austin moved into the backfield for one night and put on one of the most spectacular shows in Mountaineer football history.

On 21 carries, he ran up 344 yards and a pair of touchdowns while catching four passes for 82 yards. Add those totals to his 146 kick return yards and it brings his total number of all-purpose yards 572, the most by a non-quarterback in school history and second all-time.

His final list of accolades reads long with two First Team All-American selections, three First Team All-Conference choices, honors as both the Big East and Big 12 Special Team Player of the Year, the Jet Award as the nation’s best returner and the Paul Hornung Award as the most versatile player in the country.

After his career came to an end with the 2012 Pinstripe Bowl, Tavon Austin heard his name called with the eighth pick of the NFL Draft and joined the St. Louis Rams. After five years with the Rams organization, he joined the Dallas Cowboys in 2018.

He is currently an NFL free agent.

Honorable Mentions

Grantis Bell-WR (1985-88)

Vann Washington-DB (1993-96)

Damon Cogdell-LB (1996-98)

James “Dirty” Davis-DB (1998-2002)

Shelton Gibson-WR (2013-16)