West Virginia

Long snapper Austin Brinkman understands his role

Published

1 year ago

November 20, 2024

Long snapper Austin Brinkman understands his role

West Virginia long snapper Austin Brinkman is used to going unnoticed.

Largely because he accepted a long time ago that if he stays incognito to the majority of people watching the games it means that he was doing his job on the field.

“You kind of look at it as a good thing because if you mess up you know that’s going to be what’s talked about and you know that if things are kind of silent or you’re not getting much praise or you’re not getting talked about that’s the best thing that can possibly happen,” he said. “Because you know you’re doing your job.”

But those on the team, and in football circles, have been paying close attention to what the redshirt senior has done at his position this season. Jeff Koonz, who served as the special teams coordinator prior to moving over running the defense, has seen the progression of Brinkman firsthand.

“Austin has developed a true understanding of how important he is to the impact of our punt and field goal teams. He came here to be the long snapper, and he was recruited to come here and do that, and he knew he had a job. But I think what he has developed is being elite early, really helps us,” he said. “And me being consistent really, really helps us and really it sets up our entire scheme.”

Brinkman is a lead by example player on the roster and has put a lot of time not only into improving his craft but his body. That could eventually lead to an opportunity at the professional level and it’s something that Koonz has heard from those from the NFL this season.

Being a long snapper is a lot like a pitcher where you either have the dimensions, speed and accuracy or you don’t, and Brinkman has taken his game to a higher level this season.

“He loves football, not just snapping,” Koonz said.

It’s something Brinkman has been preparing for early in the life as his father taught him about the position and then during his freshman year of high school he realized he was capable of handling it. Then as a sophomore, Brinkman started taking the role more seriously which has led to where he is right now.

But it’s still surprising to him how far it’s taken him on the football field.

“I thought I had a chance but the level I’ve gotten and where it’s gotten me you couldn’t convince me in a million years this is where I would be if I was back there,” he said.

When he arrived on campus in Morgantown Brinkman initially believed he could possibly make an impact at another spot such as tight end, but quickly realized he was best utilized for his abilities snapping.

“I wasn’t mad about that at all,” he said.

Brinkman is one part of a unit on special teams and while he’s overlooked at times plays a key role in the success of the overall operation. There isn’t a lot of difference between snapping for a punt or a field goal outside of the distance so it’s a slight adjustment in how you mentally go about it.

As part of his effort to improve, Brinkman spent a lot of time this off-season working on getting the laces right, the rotation of the ball and the catch point of the holder. And while he has performed well at the college level and is focused on that for the time being, admittedly keeps his eyes on a possible future at the spot.

“It’s definitely gone through my mind, and I try not to look too much into. I try to just go day-by-day, week-by-week because that’s something I struggled with early in my career looking to the future,” he said.

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West Virginia

West Virginia Lottery results: See winning numbers for Mega Millions, Daily 3 on Dec. 16, 2025

Published

7 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Are you looking to win big? The West Virginia Lottery offers a variety of games if you think it’s your lucky day.

Lottery players in West Virginia can choose from popular national games like the Powerball and Mega Millions, which are available in the vast majority of states. Other games include Lotto America, Daily 3, Daily 4 and Cash 25.

Big lottery wins around the U.S. include a lucky lottery ticketholder in California who won a $1.27 billion Mega Millions jackpot in December 2024. See more big winners here. And if you do end up cashing a jackpot, here’s what experts say to do first.

Here’s a look at Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

20-24-46-59-65, Mega Ball: 07

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily 3 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

0-7-5

Check Daily 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily 4 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

3-0-0-1

Check Daily 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 25 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

02-05-06-08-23-24

Check Cash 25 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the West Virginia Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 11 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10:59 p.m. ET Tuesday and Friday.
Lotto America: 10:15 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Daily 3, 4: 6:59 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday.
Cash 25: 6:59 p.m. ET Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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West Virginia

State officials look to limit number of W.Va. youth in out-of-state placement facilities

Published

19 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

State officials look to limit number of W.Va. youth in out-of-state placement facilities

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — West Virginia is trying to bring home more than 300 children placed in expensive out-of-state treatment by the child welfare system.

Tuesday Gov. Patrick Morrisey revealed plans to create what the state is calling a home base initiative fund. It would allow for renovations and repairs to existing state buildings if it helps keep from sending troubled children to out-of-state placement facilities.

Out-of-state placements – now serving about 380 youth – cost about $156,000 per child and are undesirable due to separating families.

“We want to create a new revolving investment fund in order to make sure we’re building our existing state-owned facilities,” Morrisey said. “Those dollars are going to be used to renovate and repair existing state property by providing high acute psychiatric, neural-developmental and trauma services for kids in West Virginia.”

Morrisey said the details still have to be worked out with the Legislature on this program which is aimed at limiting the number of West Virginia youth kept out-of-state. The governor appears ready to commit $6 million in surplus money toward the effort.

“It’s a huge problem, an expensive problem,” Sen. T. Kevan Bartlett, R-Kanawha, said. “It’s a problem that’s not reflective of our values to send kids away. We’ve got to come up with better answers to take care of kids. It’s the best that we can do. Then we’ve got to come up with something much better. I think that’s what the governor wants to do and I support that completely.”

Morrisey noted children in foster care have at least dropped a little below 6,000. While that number still seems high, Child Protective Services’ backlog has been cut by 50%. Numbers show children removed from a home for substance abuse is down 37%.

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“These are the statistics but we shouldn’t be beating our chests,” Morrisey said. “We have a lot more work to do.”

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West Virginia

As expected, buck harvest down significantly for 2025 – WV MetroNews

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

As expected, buck harvest down significantly for 2025 – WV MetroNews

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia deer hunters killed 33,775 bucks during the recently completed two week buck firearms season.

According to information released Tuesday by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Greenbrier County was the top county in the state for bucks in 2025 with 1,730 killed during the gun season. Second was Preston County with 1,349, Randolph County 1,198, Hardy County 1,165 and Pendleton at 1,135. The rest of the top ten counties in order were Pocahontas, Monroe, Grant, Fayette, and Hampshire Counties.’

Click here to see county-by-county buck firearms season harvests for the last five seasons.

As predicted by the DNR prior to the season, the total harvest was 18.5 percent below 2024. All of the DNR’s districts registered a decrease in harvest, with the exception of District 4 which experienced a 7.5 percent increase compared to last year. The DNR predicted the lower harvest because of a major abundance of mast in the state. The conditions were such that deer didn’t have to travel far to find adequate food and therefore were not as exposed to hunters.

The agency acknowledged several counties along the Ohio River and central West Virginia experienced an outbreak of hemorrhagic disease in the early fall which also impacted hunter success especially in western counties of the state.

Several deer hunting opportunities remain for 2025. The state’s archery and crossbow season runs through Dec. 31, the traditional Class N/NN antlerless deer season will be open in select areas on public and private land Dec. 11-14 and Dec. 28-31, the muzzleloader deer season will be open Dec. 15-21 and the youth, Class Q and Class XS season for antlerless deer will be open Dec. 26-27 in any county with a firearms deer season.

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