When Virginia football opens spring practice on Tuesday, March 27, newcomer Bryce Perkins will be the quarterback taking snaps with the first-team.
Perkins, a 6’3”, 215-pound junior college transfer, earned the right to take the field first next Tuesday because of his experience as a starter at Arizona Western College, where he led the team to the NJCAA Championship in 2017, as well as the leadership and competitiveness he has exhibited in the short time he has been in Charlottesville. The Chandler High School (AZ) product and former Arizona State Sun Devil enrolled on Grounds this past January.
“Jordan Ellis, who has the respect of our team as you know by the jersey selection number that he has gotten every year, he mentioned to his position coach, Coach Atuaia, in watching Bryce from his enrollment at UVA to now, ‘Coach, he fits here,’” Mendenhall said.
“What [Ellis] means by that is [Perkins] tries really hard. He wants to be one of the team, not the team. He sets the standard by leading from the front. In sprints, he’s ahead. In conditioning, he’s ahead. In the work we do, if he’s in he’s completely immersed and if he’s not in he’s completely immersed in supporting whoever’s out there.”
Perkins, a junior with two seasons of eligibility remaining, had sharp focus heading into the start of his Cavalier career. He told TheSabre.com in this EDGE article before he enrolled that he was “coming with a full head of steam” and “not backing off the pedal.”
“I’m real excited,” Perkins said on January 12. “This is kind of a second opportunity to get it right. I’ll have great people and a great school around me. The strength of the conference, playing against tough opponents … I couldn’t pick a better situation.”
While Perkins will begin the spring with the first-team, Mendenhall cautions to “stay tuned” to the quarterback rotation. Running “neck and neck” behind Perkins are sophomore Lindell Stone and true freshman Brennan Armstrong. Like Perkins, Armstrong is a quarterback with dual-threat abilities. Another possibility is junior walk-on Matthew Merrick, who Mendenhall says he “likes” but is currently out with an illness. Merrick isn’t expected back until early April, which obviously sets him back in the quarterback competition.
Virginia is looking to replace the departed Kurt Benkert, who started the majority of the past two seasons at quarterback for the Cavaliers.
Graduate Transfer Additions
Back in February, Virginia announced the signing of offensive lineman Marcus Applefield. Applefield, a graduate transfer out of Rutgers, will enroll on Grounds in June.
During his teleconference on Friday, Cavalier head coach Bronco Mendenhall stated that “it is our intent” to add more graduate transfers to the program before next season. He revealed one graduate transfer could be announced “relatively soon.” This could be Ohio State graduate transfer defensive lineman Dylan Thompson, who announced his commitment to the Hoos but has not been officially announced by the program.
Mendenhall added that Virginia could add “one, maybe two more” graduate transfers this spring. He is holding spots intentionally to do just that and will assess the need as spring practice goes on. Whether or not he’ll be able to fill those spots remains to be seen, but Mendenhall is ready to act.
More UVA Football Notes
– There are positions that are “reloading,” Mendenhall said. “Many” positions, Mendenhall says, are rebuilding. The ideal is to get to where all positions are reloading.
– Asked if Bryce Perkins reminded him of any of his past players, Bronco Mendenhall mentioned former BYU dual-threat standout Taysom Hill.
“In terms of athleticism and style of play, that’s probably the closest comparison, but certainly not identical,” Mendenhall said.
– When Kurt Benkert came to Virginia, he enrolled during the summer of 2016. Benkert, who was a graduate transfer out of East Carolina, captured the starting job in 2016 despite not having the luxury of going through spring drills. Perkins’ January enrollment allows him the opportunity to train and condition with the team, learn the culture, get an early look at the system, and play spring ball and get feedback from that performance. Perkins’ scenario is much more ideal than Benkert’s was.
“There’s no way to quantify that. It’s a huge advantage,” Mendenhall said. “It accelerates growth by an entire year.”
– Wide receiver Cole Blackman, defensive lineman Isaac Buell, wide receiver De’Vante Cross, cornerback Germane Crowell, wide receiver Ben Hogg, and defensive end John Kirven are out for spring football, Mendenhall said.
Given Virginia’s need at defensive line, the losses of Buell and Kirven could be significant. Buell didn’t play last year as a true freshman. Kirven did but missed the 2017 Military Bowl with a concussion.
– Coach Mendenhall said getting junior wide receiver Joe Reed the football “has to be a priority,” not just because of Reed’s ability but because Virginia needs to recreate — and exceed – the production of departed seniors Doni Dowling and Andre Levrone. Mendenhall cited Olamide Zaccheaus as another who the Cavaliers will look to produce more with Dowling and Levrone gone.
– De’Vante Cross is out with an ankle injury. When he returns he’ll play wide receiver … more specifically, he will be one of those in line to try and replace Dowling and Levrone. While Reed and Zaccheaus will get touches in a variety of ways, Cross is among those more traditional receivers in line to compete to replace Dowling and Levrone, who played more traditional receiver roles as well.
Mendenhall noted that Cross will still receive some quarterback training, but he won’t be in “no-man’s land” like he was last year.
