Versatility and Juan Thornhill go hand in hand. That’s been true since his days at AltaVista high school where he starred on both sides of the football and on the basketball court.

So when the Virginia football program decided to move him to safety this spring, the news wasn’t greeted with much surprise. Thornhill, after all, played safety and quarterback at AltaVista so putting him in the middle of the field alongside returning safety Quin Blanding makes a lot of sense regardless of other roster considerations.

Throw in the facts that starting safety Kelvin Rainey finished his career in the fall and that cornerback is one of the deepest spots on the team and moving Thornhill from corner to safety is a virtual no brainer. He put on more weight since last fall and that helped facilitate the shift to safety. He’s up to 200 pounds now, but wants to continue to add size to his frame in order to take on the demands of run defense that the safety spot requires.

”I had thought I was going to be back at corner but I guess they noticed I started putting on more size,” Thornhill said. ”We needed some help back there so I guess that’s why they moved me.”

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