As the Virginia football team wrapped up its spring practices Saturday at Scott Stadium, the format and the roster reinforced an already known fact. The offensive line needs more bodies.
The Cavaliers listed only 11 linemen on the roster with Ryan Bischoff, Osiris Crutchfield, Jack English, Jake Fieler, Trenton Jenkins, Ben Knutson, Jack McDonald, Steven Moss, R.J. Proctor, Dillon Reinkensmeyer, and Ben Trent. Proctor donned a red jersey and did not participate with a lower leg injury. Other players rotated, but only having a two deep on the depth chart at the position had as much to do with the offense-defense format as anything.
It’s also why the offensive line remains a key recruiting focus.
”We’ll go after at least seven probably the next two classes after this,” UVA coach Bronco Mendenhall said during the ACC teleconference Wednesday. “Most times there’s a coaching change, two positions I think are of primary importance to that change that have led to the change. One is the quarterback and two is the offensive line, and I think we’re no different, and so we still have tons of work to do in terms of the talent acquisition and workforce planning to get the succession right for playing with the current group of players and developing others and the numbers and the quality of players that we need.”
The Cavaliers addressed the upcoming season’s numbers situation with five freshmen and a trio of graduate transfers. The five true freshmen are Tyler Fannin, Chris Glaser Jr., Ryan Nelson, Ryan Swoboda, and Gerrik Vollmer. At 6’3” and 290 pounds from a family of football players that includes a brother at Middle Tennessee State, Fannin seems like the most likely candidate to find his way on to the two deep this fall.
All three grad transfers, on the other hand, should work their way into the discussion. Notre Dame transfer Colin McGovern where he started for much of this past season. UVA sees McGovern as either a guard or tackle. John Montelus, another Notre Dame transfer, is likely a guard and the staff likes his athleticism. Oklahoma State transfer Brandon Pertile slots at tackle and the coaches are familiar with him because they recruited him at BYU.
“I’s not an accident that we targeted, number one, that many and at that position,” Mendenhall said Wednesday. “It’s one of the biggest holes we have to fill in our program currently to provide the stability and the progress that we’re going to need. … For us it gives us a great chance to immediately improve our program with some players with experience and maturity at positions of need while we also develop younger players, and it’s great for the players. They’ll get a graduate degree from UVA, which is an amazingly important step on their résumé, but they also were able to help our football program.”
With those three newcomers in mind, the top 10 linemen layout at this point takes shape. English looks like a lock to start at tackle (left side likely), while Fieler will be the front runner at center. ”I think Jake Fieler is probably the one that has increased his stock his most in terms of what role he had to what role he’ll most likely have,” Mendenhall said after Saturday’s scrimmage. Pertile, Reinkensmeyer, and Bischoff figure into the tackle equation as well (likely on the right side).
McGovern, McDonald, Proctor, Moss, and Montelus will be in the mix at guard. Mendenhall said Saturday, however, that the Hoos may need to manage McDonald uniquely with injury considerations (similar to Michael Mooney last summer and fall perhaps?) this season. Fannin could be in the mix along the interior somewhere depending on how ready he looks when he arrives this summer.
The other thing to keep in mind when sketching out the possible offensive line two deep is that the staff likes to cross train positions. Proctor and Fieler have both worked at guard and center for example, while English has played both tackle spots. McGovern could be a guard or tackle. Reinkensmeyer could fit in any of the slots. We know from last fall that UVA likes to have at least seven linemen ready for the rotation with others next in the chute.
Virginia Football Quarterback Plans
Saturday’s scrimmage solidified the quarterback question already well answered this spring. The Cavaliers plugged in Kurt Benkert as the returning starter and gave him in the neighborhood of 99% of the reps this spring. During Saturday’s festival, the only people to take a snap other than Benkert were Daniel Hamm in a wildcat look and the punters Lester Coleman and Nash Griffin.
Citing improved consistency, poise, experience, and health for Benkert this spring, Mendenhall has stated several times that he likes the direction and development for his starter. Benkert tallied 2,552 passing yards and 21 touchdown passes last season.
”He got a lot of work,” Mendenhall said Saturday. ”I would venture to say there isn’t another quarterback that got more repetition this spring than him in terms of live work because we only trained one. We have other plans for our quarterback development. We have others coming. Fall is going to be really important there as well as we establish the depth we need to have and want to have at that position.”
Mendenhall spelled out that plan earlier in the week during the ACC teleconference. Benkert is the clear starter, while Missouri graduate transfer Marvin Zanders will enter the mix as a lead competitor for the No. 2 spot. De’Vante Cross will continue to get some consideration there as well, but the staff has worked him at receiver to get him on the field in some way too. True freshman Lindell Stone could be the heir to the seat somewhere down the road. QB Sonny Abramson, a sophomore, has not been mentioned this spring and has not gotten reps in practices open to the media.
“We have a transfer quarterback coming from the University of Missouri that has two years remaining, and we’re also playing De’Vante Cross at wide receiver in addition to some of his quarterback duties,” Mendenhall said last Wednesday. “I’ll let the plan kind of speak for itself there. We also have a very, very good first-year quarterback coming in in Lindell Stone, and so the succession planning at that position, it very well could be Kurt and then Marvin Zanders coming in with two years remaining and then a great first year coming in and De’Vante possibly playing a role at quarterback and possibly playing a role as receiver. Having said that, Kurt is throwing the ball very, very well, he’s making very good decisions, and he’s improved his game from a decision making and game management standpoint. I would say significantly he’s trending upward, and he’s healthy, and he’s more fit.”
Boss Hogg
Cavalier junior receiver Ben Hogg earned a scholarship last season after he initially walked on from Brookville High in Lynchburg under Mike London. He redshirted in 2014 and did not appear in any games in 2015 as he filled a scout team role. Last season, he appeared in nine games on special teams and at wideout.
While Hogg has yet to catch a college pass, Mendenhall thinks he could carve out a role this fall. He did catch a pass on third down Saturday to move the chains and he logged a 1,000-yard season for Brookville in 2013. The team already embraces him as a hardworking team player as well.
”There was a celebration when I announced his name at the end of fall camp,” Mendenhall said of Hogg’s scholarship. ”He has great respect from his teammates and he’s an amazing person. He’s also a leader on our team, a task unit leader – they have a lot of influence. He’s consistent, he’s tough, and I think he’ll play a nice role at receiver this year. We’re counting on him to help us. He’s been very consistent, made some really nice catches all spring long.”
