Tavon Austin picked up another award today when he was named the 2012 Jet Award Return Specialist winner.

He finished No. 2 in the country in all purpose running, with more than 220 yards a game, and averaged more than 25 yards per kickoff return.

The award, named for the best return specialist in college football, is named after former Heisman trophy winner Johnny “The Jet” Rodgers.

To win the award, candidates must also show include leadership, courage, desire and respect for authority and discipline.

Austin won the prestigious 2012 Paul Hornung Award last week as the most versatile player in major college football.

The Brian Mitchell hire is official this morning at West Virginia.

Mitchell, a former NFL cornerback who spent the last three years at East Carolina, will coach the cornerbacks according to a release sent out by the University.

“Brian is an excellent addition to the West Virginia football staff and has a wealth of experience as a cornerbacks coach,” Coach Dana Holgorsen said in a statement. “He brings a lot of energy, is an aggressive recruiter, and I have seen him develop young players into great players. He is an outstanding coach and even better person, and I look forward to him joining our program.”

Mitchell spent the last three years as defensive coordinator and secondary coach at ECU. He will be tasked with improving a group of corners that struggled this season.

“It’s an honor to be associated with a program that has a great winning tradition such as West Virginia,” said Mitchell in a statement. “I believe the fans are second to none; the state is second to none. It is a privilege to earn the right to go through this process to be a part of this family.

“It’s a natural fit for me, coaching cornerbacks, because I played the position at all three levels, in high school, college and in the NFL. I was fortunate enough to play in the NFL with some very dominate football players such as Deion Sanders. I was able to learn, absorb, see, hear and put together and formulate a plan to help young men be very successful at the NCAA Division I level at the cornerback position. Knowledge is key to all things. I’ve been able to acquire that knowledge over the years and have had success of consistently putting a good product on the field.”

Dana Holgorsen moved quickly to fill the vacancies on his coaching staff this offseason, which did not appear to be the case last year.

He hired former WVU coaches Tony Gibson and Lonnie Galloway and former ECU defensive coordinator Brian Mitchell, which the Post-Gazette reported over the last several days.

After DC Jeff Casteel and his staff left for Arizona after the Orange Bowl, you might recall it was well into February when the defensive staff had not yet been finalized.

These moves were all made quickly, and considering what a key period this is for recruiting with national signing day just weeks away – that is important.

While none have been formally announced, they are already going through the formal vetting process and are expected to happen relatively soon.

Gibson and Mitchell replace Daron Roberts and Steve Dunlap – both whom Holgorsen fired following the season – and Galloway replaces Jake Spavital, who joined the staff at Texas A&M late last week. Galloway is expected to coach the receivers, and OC Shannon Dawson will pick up quarterback coach duties to add to his role as OC.

Both Gibson and Galloway are reputed to be very strong recruiters, Galloway having nabbed Tavon Austin and Bruce Irvin while he was on the staff of the late Bill Stewart.

Gibson, according to area high school coaches around Pittsburgh, knows the Western Pennsylvania area well and has the right connections and demeanor.

Less is known about Brian Mitchell whose defenses at East Carolina certainly weren't great.  But his defenses at Texas Tech before that were strong and he played three seasons in the NFL as a cornerback with Atlanta and Dallas.

How will these hires fare? Time will tell of course, but it seems clear recruiting should be a strength of this group, and certainly that is a key area.