Juan Thornhill Transitions To Bigger Role On Virginia Defense

Junior Juan Thornhill has returned to safety, where he feels more natural despite playing well at cornerback last season. ~ Photo by Kris Wright

Discussing his defense earlier this Fall Camp, Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall said he simply wants to field the best 11 players. For Juan Thornhill, that meant playing cornerback in the 2016 season. He stepped up, starting 11 of 12 games and finishing with 45 tackles (29 solo, 3 tackles for loss) and a team-leading three interceptions.

This season Thornhill will line up at safety, where he began his Cavalier career. The junior will play strong safety alongside All-American free safety Quin Blanding, with senior Tim Harris and sophomore Bryce Hall the likely starters at cornerback.

“He’s going to be very special to us,” Blanding said of Thornhill, who replaces the graduated Kelvin Rainey at strong safety. “He’s very versatile. He’s a guy that can move anywhere. He knows how to cover and he knows how to tackle, so he can be in the box and he can be in the post.”

The move back to safety “is not that big of a deal to me,” Thornhill said. “I feel like it’s easier because everything is in front of me now instead of me looking towards the side and then having to come make a tackle. I’m coming downhill. I played safety coming out of high school. I feel like it’s more natural for me to be [at safety].”

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