Believe it or not, Virginia football practice starts in a little more than a month.
Since Bronco Mendenhall moved much of his staff across the country from BYU, the past few months have evolved from the first points of emphasis – how to line up and stretch properly – to summer speed training – how to maximize movement. When the team hits the field the first week of August, however, that’s when the final stage of preparations crank up for Mendenhall’s first season at UVA.
With anticipation building for a new era, it’s time for fans to get in the football frame of mind. Here’s a collection of lists, focusing on the defense this time (click here to read the offense lists), to help pass a few summer days before practice begins.
5 Players Certain To Have Big Roles
1. Quin Blanding. This is the no-brainer starting point for these lists. Blanding returns as an upperclassman following two sterling years to start his career. Blanding has piled up 238 tackles in two seasons to with nine pass break-ups and four interceptions so far as a Hoo. BYU safety Kai Nacua led the team in interceptions the past two seasons, including six in Mendenhall’s final season last fall. The Cavaliers will have Blanding in a spot to make plays too.
2. Donte Wilkins. Throughout the spring, Mendenhall praised the efforts of Wilkins at nose tackle. He’s going to be a crucial piece of the puzzle this season as Virginia operates out of a 3-4 base defense, meaning Wilkins will be the space-eating run-stopper in the middle that will see some double teams. Playing alongside David Dean the past three seasons, he’s been solid with 42 career stops. The Hoos will need him to take a step up this season.
3. Micah Kiser. He stepped in as a first-year starter last fall as a sophomore and promptly posted 117 tackles. Kiser was really good against the run, leading the team with 82 tackles on running plays. Kiser already has been named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List for the upcoming season and he figures to be a big piece of Mendenhall’s first defense in Charlottesville.
4. Juan Thornhill. As a true freshman, he appeared in only nine games and made just two tackles. Still, Thornhill is a superb athlete and he caught the eye of the new Cavalier coaches instantly this spring. It’s not clear exactly where he will land in the secondary because he could be a corner or a safety or maybe both in a reserve role. Regardless, UVA fans should expect to see him involved on the defense this season.
5. Kelvin Rainey. The starting safety alongside Blanding last season, Rainey made 68 tackles. He had six tackles and two pass break-ups in the finale against Virginia Tech. The secondary has a lot of options of both the experienced and up-and-coming variety, but Rainey has played both corner and safety and he has the experience of a senior. He’ll carve out time somewhere.
5 Players That Could Join That Group
1. Andrew Brown. The 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Year came in as a five-star recruit just like Blanding, but has yet to make a significant impact on defense. He has 10 tackles and one sack in two years. A shoulder injury as a freshman slowed his start and he never got comfortable as a defensive tackle behind the likes of Wilkins, Dean, and Mike Moore. With a shift to a 3-4 scheme and a move to defensive end, however, Brown could be on the verge of a big breakthrough. Things aren’t crowded at end so he’s going to get a chance to show what he can do.
2. Malcolm Cook. After a big senior year for the Fork Union Military Academy high school team as a senior (he had 96 tackles and nine interceptions), Virginia fans hoped he might make a quick impact in college. Injuries derailed those possibilities, slowing him early as a freshman and then ending his sophomore season after just three games in 2015. As a redshirt junior, however, Cook is getting a look at a hybrid-type linebacker role that could be vital to the defense with so many spread offenses out there.
3. Zach Bradshaw. You’ll find linebackers all over this list and with good reason. With four starting linebacker spots, the two-deep alone needs eight names at least, though some guys could swap between spots as well. Bradshaw started as an outside linebacker in nine games last season and made 53 tackles. He’s projected on the inside right now alongside Kiser and the duo obviously spent a lot of time together already on the field.
4. Chris Peace. Part of an upcoming crop of underclassmen that could make an impact, Peace is a defensive end and a candidate to start. He saw time in all 12 games last season with one start, but made 12 tackles in what amounted to spot duty. Peace has a motor and good speed. He’s probably going to carve out a role this season.
5. Tim Harris. Thrown into the fire early, Harris has been a piece of the defense for all three of his years in Charlottesville. He’s started 21 games and played as a reserve too. He has 79 tackles and two interceptions in his career, which has been marked by some really good plays and some really big ‘uh-oh’ moments too. If Harris can be consistent as a senior, the Hoos could use his size (6’2” and 200 pounds) on the edges.
5 Players That Will Surprise You At Some Point
1. Darious Latimore. In the same category as Thornhill and Peace, Latimore is a sophomore starting to move toward a potentially bigger role. He started two games last season and made 14 tackles for the year, Still, it’s moments like a one-handed interception at Miami that could lead to surprising ‘wow’ type of moments on the field.
2. Andre Miles-Redmond. He’s sort of an unsung hero in the program after a redshirt season and three years on the interior of the line with little playing time. Still, he’s made a play or two when given the chance and started three games a year ago, which included a two-tackle day against Notre Dame. With limited depth at nose tackle and the need for someone to spell Wilkins during games, he’s going to get a shot to make some plays as fifth-year senior.
3. Kirk Garner. Entering his junior season, he’s been mostly a special teams contributor to date. Still, Maurice Canady and Demetrious Nicholson ate up a lot of snaps and are now gone from the program. Garner may get a shot to get on the field and make a contribution with the new regime in town.
4. Cory Jones. After a redshirt season, Jones caught some attention in fall camp last season but ended up not seeing any time on the field in 2015. He didn’t play football until his senior season of high school, but he’s got intriguing measurements at 6’5” and 215 pounds with good speed. On a team that needs linebackers with no clear-cut front-runners on the outside of the 3-4 scheme, Jones may be a guy that gets a look at some point in the coming months.
5. Jahvoni Simmons. Another anticipated recruit from late in Mike London’s tenure, Simmons redshirted last fall after an injury early in fall camp slowed his development. He starred at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach when the team posted a 51-2 record over his final three seasons. As a senior, he had 73 tackles and three interceptions. He’s listed on the inside of the linebacker group.
5 Players With Unknown Roles That Could Be Important
1. C.J. Stalker. He’s listed as an inside linebacker as well, meaning some of the well known names to fans – Kiser, Bradshaw, Simmons, Stalker – are all in the same group. He’s gone through two spring practices and played in seven games as a true freshman, though his role didn’t materialize as quickly as that first spring initially projected. He ended up with just two tackles. Still, the team needs linebackers and other than Kiser, it’s not real clear who has emerged with a shot to play a big role so far. Stalker could get in the mix.
2. Wilfred Wahee. He’s become a real special teams dynamo in his time here and started six games on defense last season too. Wahee’s biggest highlight came on a fumble return for touchdown against Syracuse last season. With Blanding, Rainey, and Thornhill all possible options at safety, it’s not real clear where Wahee could carve out some snaps. Still, he’s a senior with a lot of experience, good versatility, and the willingness to do a lot of lifting on special teams. He’s probably going to contribute this year.
3. Mark Hall. Entering his senior season, Hall has been mostly a reserve and special teams option to date with 29 career appearances. Hall didn’t find a fit at linebacker in Jon Tenuta’s defense, but the move to a 3-4 scheme could give him a chance at a bigger impact in his final season. As a defensive end, he’ll be able to tap into his pass-rushing instincts – he had 16 sacks as a high school senior – and maybe make some big plays as a result.
4. Eli Hanback. Continuing the ‘line depth’ theme, Hanback comes off a redshirt season with an opportunity to claim some playing time. Listed at defensive end, he got a couple of Mendenhall mentions during interviews this spring. Hanback is an unknown as a college defensive end, but he may get some snaps.
5. Eric Gallon. He played as a true freshman in 2015, getting time at first on special teams and then moving into the linebacker group in October. He started at North Carolina with Bradshaw sitting out the first half (targeting penalty against Syracuse the previous game), but his season ended there too with a foot injury. With a lot of unknowns at outside linebacker, Gallon is name to monitor – if he’s healthy, an he rise up the depth charts again?
