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Four years ago, David Long and Dravon Askew-Henry were among the honorees on West Virginia's 2018 senior day.
Then a freshman, Josh Chandler-Semedo remembers seeing the two overcome with emotion.
"(I) didn't really get it at that point, being young," Chandler-Semedo said, "but being a lot older, you pour a lot into a program, you've been through some rough times, you've been through some good times, memories with teammates and stuff like that."
Now, there are two games left before Chandler-Semedo's college football career is over. The senior linebacker said it himself Tuesday, announcing his intent to spurn his fifth year of eligibility and look ahead to what's next.
Chandler-Semedo, who is currently working on a master's degree, is not the only one facing a tough decision.
Due to COVID-19, the NCAA awarded a fifth year of eligibility to all student-athletes, allowing them a total of six years in college. A handful of Mountaineers took advantage of the opportunity last season, including starting safeties Alonzo Addae and Sean Mahone. Others, such as wide receiver TJ Simmons and offensive lineman Chase Behrndt, opted to depart the program anyway, choosing to begin a new chapter of their lives.
"Last year's senior class, several of those guys could've come back, but a lot of them didn't necessarily have NFL futures and they were kind of tired," head coach Neal Brown said. "It's hard, it really is. Everybody sees all the perks and rewards and stuff, but it's a lot of work. A lot of those guys had already graduated, a lot of them already had their master's and they went about their life.
"You have discussions, whether it's 'Hey, we want you to come back, we really would like for you to come back,' or then you have the NFL discussion which is very similar to what you have with a junior. You take the emotions out as a coach and you just present the information."
The Mountaineers will hold their final home game of the 2021 season Saturday against Texas. With Senior Day festivities taking place before kickoff, the question on whether to return lingers for many. Starting quarterback Jarret Doege is among those eligible to return, as is running back Leddie Brown and defensive lineman Dante Stills, among others, but nobody has tipped their hand on their future plans.
Each year, Senior Day is often the earliest window into seeing how the next season's roster shakes out. This year seems to be different, especially because the Mountaineers are still in the hunt to make a bowl appearance.
"We're giving them the option if they walk," Brown said. "I'm not really pressing them to make final decisions whether they're coming back or not, just cause I don't think there's any reason to put stress on them right here with two weeks left."
"As far as Senior Day," Brown added a few moments later, "I don't think there's any rule that you can't do it twice. I wouldn't take a whole bunch of credence in who walks and who doesn't walk."
Injury update
With two games to go, West Virginia's roster is thinning out.
Joining the injured list is starting WILL linebacker Exree Loe, who left the game against Kansas State with a lower-body injury. He is the third starter that the Mountaineers will be without for the rest of the year.
Additionally, linebacker Lance Dixon and wide receiver Sean Ryan are questionable to play this weekend against Texas.
The one positive is backup quarterback Garrett Greene, who returned to practice this week after being sidelined last week.