The Virginia football team opens practice in two weeks as new coach Bronco Mendenhall prepares the Cavaliers for his first season in Charlottesville. Among the items on the practice ‘to do’ list? Find a quarterback.
There are three players in contention for the starting nod as a whole new offensive system is installed. Seniors Matt Johns and Connor Brewer worked on the top line in the spring, while East Carolina transfer Kurt Benkert join the competition in August.
“We currently have three quarterbacks in contention that we will carry through fall camp before we make a decision,” Mendenhall said. “… I won’t know until fall camp is over. We’ll have to do a masterful job of orchestrating fall camp to distribute the repetitions enough to be clear enough as to who is the uncontested leader, which is usually one of the biggest challenges in a relatively tight timeframe.”
Medenhall also told reporters that he’d like to trim the list to two candidates once practice gets going.
At #ACCKickoff @UVACoachBronco says would like to narrow QB race to 2 by mid-point of fall camp then make a final choice at end of camp.
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) July 21, 2016
Johns will try to become the first UVA quarterback to start back-to-back season openers over the past five seasons. Johns started in 2015 following Michael Rocco (2012), David Watford (2013), and Greyson Lambert (2014). He started all 12 games last season and threw for 2,810 yards with 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Johns completed 61.3% of his passes. For his career, he has 3,919 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions.
Brewer and Benkert are both transfers into the program. Brewer came to Virginia as a graduate student after stops at Texas (redshirt) and Arizona (two appearances). He did not attempt a pass in a game at either stop. With the Cavaliers, he’s completed 4 of 8 attempts for 34 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception.
Benkert, meanwhile, joined the team after leaving ECU at the end of the spring. After working as a back-up in the Pirates’ up-tempo spread offense – a system similar to what the coaches are installing at Virginia – he earned the starting job for the 2015 season. Those plans fell by the wayside when he suffered a knee injury in late August and missed the entire season. For his career at ECU, he completed 8 of 10 passes for 58 yards and rushed for two touchdowns.
“Matt Johns is one of our quarterbacks, which I love his leadership and his poise and his experience,” Mendenhall said. “Connor Brewer had a very good spring, much more efficient and effective than any of us expected. He was just grateful for a chance. But he made the most of it. He is in contention. And a transfer from East Carolina in Kurt Benkert. We’re very intrigued by what we’ve seen from him with the upside that he has two years of eligibility. There is a nice bridge there that could be formed with the possibility of more experience.”
Offensive Line Depth Takes Another Hit
Early in July, the Virginia offensive line lost two members of the roster when Eric Tetlow and Sadiq Olanrewaju decided to retire from football for medical reasons. In breakout sessions with reporters on Thursday, Mendenhall also indicated that Jared Cohen would not be a part of the team this fall. Cohen sat out last season and North Carolina as well, but transferred to UVA at the end of the spring and had planned to join the program on the offensive line. He decided to leave football as well.
At #ACCKickoff @UVACoachBronco tells media that UNC OL transfer Jared Cohen told coaching staff he no longer interested in playing football.
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) July 21, 2016
As detailed in this Sabre EDGE article, the Hoos are perilously thin on the offensive line as the start of practice looms. With Cohen’s decision, there are only 12 linemen on scholarship and just 14 linemen listed on the roster counting walk-ons. That’s nearly 50% of an optimum number, which would be in the range of 20-25 players over five classes. The Cavaliers likely will need to explore position switches – though the defensive line is really thin too – and walk-on options to bolster depth.
The top level guys, at least, have experience. Center Jackson Matteo and tackles Eric Smith and Michael Mooney all have started double-digit games in their careers.
“We return a few starters, and we return some guys who have played, have experience,” Matteo said Thursday. “Eric Smith I think has started 32 games at right tackle and left tackle. Michael Mooney started ’15. He was out last year with a little knee injury. He’s back, and healthy. We have a few guys inside. Jack McDonald, that’s a name you’re going to hear. Myself at center. We’re kind of looking around for the right guard spot. I think we have a good group of guys.”
Living Arrangements
When Mendenhall accepted the Virginia job, he moved his wife and three sons across the country from Utah. They purchased a house and began renovations, which left the family in a RV throughout the last several months. When the family returns from vacation in Montana, they’ll finally get to move into the finished house.
“The interesting arrangements have just gone from a hotel to an RV to a cabin in Montana. I arrived last night at midnight,” Mendenhall said Thursday. “Our target move-in date for permanent housing in Charlottesville is August 1, which is the same day we come back to work.”
