David Sills V
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David Sills V (born May 29, 1996) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. As a seventh-grade quarterback in 2010, he garnered national attention when he verbally committed to play football at the University of Southern California. In 2014, Sills decommitted from
USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...
and eventually signed a national letter of intent to play at West Virginia University. Sills began his college career as a quarterback, but moved to wide receiver as a freshman. After spending his freshman year playing for the West Virginia Mountaineers, Sills transferred to
El Camino College El Camino College (Elco or ECC) is a two-year public community college located in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County known as Alondra Park.2017 College Football All-America Team The 2017 College Football All-America Team includes those players of American college football who have been honored by various selector organizations as the best players at their respective positions. The selector organizations award the "All-Am ...
selection by ''
Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'', '' Sports Illustrated'' and CBS Sports for the 2017 West Virginia Mountaineers. He led the 2018 Big 12 Conference in touchdowns and was named
2018 All-Big 12 Conference football team The 2018 All-Big 12 Conference football team consists of American football players chosen as All-Big 12 Conference players for the 2018 Big 12 Conference football season. The conference recognizes two official All-Big 12 selectors: (1) the Big 12 ...
first-team selection as well as a Second-team 2018 College Football All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and American Football Coaches Association.


Early life

Sills was born in 1996. His parents are Denise and David Sills IV. He has two older sisters, Emma and Abby. His father is a commercial developer and contractor, who played cornerback for the Virginia Military Institute. He began playing youth football at age six and began training at age nine with quarterback trainer
Steve Clarkson Steven Levert "Steve" Clarkson (born October 31, 1961) is an American football coach. Based in Pasadena, California, he is considered a top quarterback coach. Clarkson has tutored Ben Roethlisberger, Brett Hundley, Matt Leinart, J. P. Losman, Gin ...
.
Lane Kiffin Lane Monte Kiffin (born May 9, 1975) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. Kiffin formerly was the offensive coordinator for the USC Trojans football team from 2005 to 2006, head coach of the Nati ...
offered Sills a scholarship to play college football at USC in 2010. Sills gave USC a non-binding verbal commitment in 2010. Sills was among the youngest football players to receive a scholarship offer from a major football program.


High school career

As a high school freshman, Sills was the starting quarterback for Red Lion Christian Academy, a private Delaware school for grades K-12. '' Sports Illustrated'' hailed him as one of the greatest prospects ever, and '' Bloomberg News'' described him as the "best arm money can buy". At Red Lion in 2010, he accumulated 1,355 passing yards and nine touchdowns against five interceptions in eight games. In 2011, he totalled 2,340 yards and 28 touchdowns in what was his second year as a varsity quarterback. He was named a
MaxPreps.com MaxPreps is an American website that specializes in coverage of American high school sports. The site is owned by Paramount Global and is a division of CBS Sports. Founded on August 1, 2002, the company has covered up to 29 sports, including b ...
U.S. Air Force second-team freshman All-American. As a sophomore, Sills became the quarterback for Eastern Christian Academy (ECA) of Elkton, Maryland. The move was controversial because the school was a newly-formed online school. All enrolled boys were on the 46-man football team established by David Sills IV to showcase their talents to college scouts. Eastern Christian Academy was only able to play in three games in 2012 due to the school's failure to gain accreditation from the state. As a junior, Sills injured his knuckle and his delivery was impacted forever.
Lane Kiffin Lane Monte Kiffin (born May 9, 1975) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. Kiffin formerly was the offensive coordinator for the USC Trojans football team from 2005 to 2006, head coach of the Nati ...
, who had originally offered Sills a scholarship back in 2010, was fired by USC in 2013. He was replaced by Ed Orgeron on an interim basis. Eventually, USC would hire
Steve Sarkisian Stephen Sarkisian (born March 8, 1974)Stephens, Ken. – "QB GENEALOGY – Steve Sarkisian is latest in long line of talented BYU quarterbacks". – FUN FACT, Sarkisian’s father is actually Texas Tech Head Coach, Joey McGuire. ''Dallas Mo ...
to become the new head coach. According to Sills' father, Sarkisian told his son that USC would honor their scholarship offer. While receiving reassurance from Sarkisian, the Sillses got the feeling that David wasn't USC's first option. USC had offered and eventually signed two highly ranked quarterbacks in the same class,
Sam Darnold Samuel Richard Darnold (born June 5, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, where he became the first freshman to win the Archie Griffin Awar ...
and Ricky Town. Sills decommitted from USC in June 2014.


College career


West Virginia

On July 16, 2014, Sills announced his commitment to West Virginia University via Twitter. Sills was one of West Virginia's early enrollees from the 2015 recruiting class. As a result, he was able to participate in spring practice. He battled fellow quarterbacks
Skyler Howard Skyler Howard (born November 6, 1994) is an American football quarterback that most recently played for the Obic Seagulls of the Japanese X-League. High School & College Howard was born in Fort Worth, Texas and attended Brewer High School. H ...
, William Crest Jr. and
Chris Chugunov Chris Chugunov is a former American football quarterback for Ohio State. He played high school football at Montgomery High School in Skillman, New Jersey. High school career Playing at Montgomery High School, Chugunov committed to West Virgin ...
for the starting quarterback spot. Howard was eventually named the starting quarterback. Sills earned playing time as a wide receiver after impressing coaches with his performance on the scout team. On October 17, 2015, Sills made his collegiate debut against the
Baylor Bears The Baylor Bears are the athletic teams that represent Baylor University. The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as one of only two private school members of the Big 12 Conference. Prior to j ...
. He finished the game with two receptions for 64 yards. His second collegiate reception was a 35-yard touchdown. He made the game-winning touchdown reception in the 2016 Cactus Bowl against Arizona State and ended the season with seven receptions for 131 yards. During spring drills in 2016, Sills split time between quarterback and wide receiver. After West Virginia's 2016 spring game, West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen stated that Howard solidified his position as the starting quarterback and that Crest and Chugunov would continue to battle for the backup quarterback spot. With several quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart and former Florida starting quarterback Will Grier scheduled to become eligible to play for the Mountaineers in 2017, it appeared unlikely Sills would ever get an opportunity to play quarterback at West Virginia.


El Camino College

On June 23, 2016, Sills announced he would transfer to
El Camino College El Camino College (Elco or ECC) is a two-year public community college located in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County known as Alondra Park.


Return to West Virginia

On December 15, 2016, West Virginia football announced on Twitter that Sills would be returning to West Virginia. In West Virginia's 2017 spring game, Sills lined up at wide receiver and caught six passes for 98 yards from
Will Grier. In the September 3 season opener for the 2017 West Virginia Mountaineers against the 21st-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies Sills posted nine receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort against the Hokies. On September 9, Sills posted seven catches for a career-high 153 yards and a career-high three touchdowns against
East Carolina East Carolina University (ECU) is a public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a teacher training school, East Carolina has grown from its orig ...
. He then tallied 130 yards and two touchdowns against Kansas on September 23. Following the Kansas game and a bye week Sills was tied for the national lead in touchdown receptions with seven in his first four games and then he added two touchdown receptions on October 7 against
TCU TCU may stand for: Education * Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania * Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas ** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school * Tok ...
, bringing his total to nine. Sills added three more touchdown receptions on October 14 against
Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
extending his national lead. Sills' three receiving touchdowns on October 21 in a 38–36 victory over Baylor gave sills a total of 15 for the season, which continued to lead the nation. Sills made his 17th and 18th touchdown catches of the season on November 11 against Kansas State. However, in the following game, starting quarterback Grier was lost for the season, and Sills finished the season with 18 touchdowns. As a junior, Sills received numerous honors. On November 13, he was one of three 2017 Big 12 Conference football wide receivers named as a semifinalist for the
Biletnikoff Award The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...
(along with James Washington and Keke Coutee). A week later he was named as one of three finalists for the award (along with Washington and
Michael Gallup Michael Gallup (born March 4, 1996) is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Colorado State Rams football, Colorado State. Early years Gallup attended Mon ...
). On November 30, Sills was the only member of the
2017 West Virginia Mountaineers football team The 2017 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mountaineers played their home games at the Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium, in Morgantown, West ...
named to the 2017 All-Big 12 Conference football first team. Sills finished the season as the
NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...
touchdown receptions leader with 18 (tied with Anthony Miller). Sills earned
2017 College Football All-America Team The 2017 College Football All-America Team includes those players of American college football who have been honored by various selector organizations as the best players at their respective positions. The selector organizations award the "All-Am ...
first-team recognition from '' Sports Illustrated'', ''
Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'' and CBS Sports. Sills also earned several second-team All-American honors, including Associated Press, Walter Camp Football Foundation,
SB Nation ''SB Nation'' (an abbreviation for their full name ''SportsBlogs Nation'') is a sports blogging network owned by Vox Media. It was co-founded by Tyler Bleszinski, Markos Moulitsas, and Jerome Armstrong in 2005. The blog from which the network ...
, '' College Football News'', and American Football Coaches Association. Sills decided to return to play his senior season with Grier. Sills entered the season on watchlists for the Maxwell Award,
Fred Biletnikoff Award The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...
, and Walter Camp Award. With Grier back for their senior seasons, Sills opened up the season with a seven-catch, 140-yard, two-touchdown effort in a victory over Tennessee. The Mountaineers schedule was cut short one game when Hurricane Florence caused a cancellation of the September 15 game at NC State. On September 22, Sills tallied three touchdowns against Kansas State. Sills also had 2-touchdown performances against Baylor (139 yards) on October 25, Texas on November 3, and
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
(131 yards) on November 23. Sills' 15 touchdowns led the Big 12. Following the season, he was a
2018 All-Big 12 Conference football team The 2018 All-Big 12 Conference football team consists of American football players chosen as All-Big 12 Conference players for the 2018 Big 12 Conference football season. The conference recognizes two official All-Big 12 selectors: (1) the Big 12 ...
first-team selection. Sills earned
2018 College Football All-America Team The 2018 College Football All-America Team includes those players of American college football who have been honored by various selector organizations as the best players at their respective positions. The selector organizations award the "All-A ...
second-team recognition by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and, American Football Coaches Association. He earned third-team recognition from the Associated Press.


Professional career


Buffalo Bills

Sills signed with the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
as an undrafted free agent on April 27, 2019. He was waived by the Bills on August 31, 2019.


New York Giants

On September 1, 2019, Sills was signed to the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
. On December 17, 2019, Sills was promoted to the active roster. He was placed on the reserve/ COVID-19 list by the Giants on July 28, 2020, and activated from the list seven days later. On September 4, 2020, Sills was placed on the injured reserve list after fracturing his foot during training camp. He was placed on the reserve/ COVID-19 list by the team on December 30, 2020, and moved back to injured reserve on January 7, 2021. He signed a contract extension with the team on January 7 thru the 2021 season. On August 31, 2021, Sills was waived by the Giants and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. On October 23, 2021, Sills was signed to the active roster. He was waived on October 26, 2021 and re-signed to the practice squad. On January 8, 2022, Sills was promoted to the active roster. On March 11, 2022, Sills re-signed with the Giants. He surpassed 100 career receiving yards in Week 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, when he recorded a 19-yard reception that increased his career total from 99 to 118 receiving yards. He was released on December 31, 2022.


See also

*
2017 College Football All-America Team The 2017 College Football All-America Team includes those players of American college football who have been honored by various selector organizations as the best players at their respective positions. The selector organizations award the "All-Am ...


Notes


External links


West Virginia Mountaineers profile

El Camino College Warriors profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sills, David 1996 births Living people American football quarterbacks American football wide receivers Buffalo Bills players El Camino Warriors football players New York Giants players Players of American football from Wilmington, Delaware West Virginia Mountaineers football players