This past Saturday, the Virginia football team completed its final conditioning test before the start of spring practice. More than 90 percent of the roster passed the training test, making the majority of the team eligible to be active Tuesday when the team begins the first of 15 spring practice sessions.
New head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who said he wasn’t sure what to expect from the Cavaliers when he arrived, spoke highly of the players and the progress they have made throughout his few short months on the job.
“What I have learned relatively quickly, is that this team is not resistant, they are eager and they are hungry,” Mendenhall said. “I’ve been really impressed with how hard they want to work, how willing they are to embrace the level of detail that we’ve asked for … and I really have been impressed with their desire to embrace the concept and principle of ‘earned, not given.’”
After taking over as UVA’s new head coach in December, Mendenhall said he feels he has a good handle on the team and that things are headed in the right direction.
Mendenhall emphasized that he is striving to completely rebuild the football program and that he is “not interested in what’s happened before.” The team will not be using any plays from the previous seasons for example. Plus, in order to start fresh, the team has worked out and will continue to practice without numbers on the jerseys.
“Before we can do anything as a program there has to be this idea that we really want to do it,” Mendenhall said. “This team is showing that they do want to do it and they are willing to do it and they will have a chance to choose their numbers and make their mark on our program and what they can give when fall camp ends – so it’s still a long journey.”
Mendenhall said that although he has asked the players to take what he describes as “extreme” measures, such as practicing without numbers, he feels the team has demonstrated a strong work ethic and genuinely trusts the decisions he is making.
“I love asking players to do hard things and then seeing the success and satisfaction and who they become by doing those hard things,” Mendenhall said. “They are trusting that I’m setting that standard for them, and because of that initial level of trust they’re working very hard and matter-of-factly, believing that if they do this we will have success.”
Mendenhall said he was surprised by the team’s initial trust in him, stating, “My original thought was that I would have to fight harder for initial credibility.”
However, Mendenhall added, “I think we are establishing trust, I think we are establishing fitness, I know that we are establishing unity amongst the team and chemistry and I think we have set a great foundation for now, the opportunity to practice.”
When discussing leadership on the team, Mendenhall said, “I have a great idea who I think will be the leaders, who I think will contribute, and at what level.” Mendenhall pointed to quarterback Matt Johns and center Jackson Matteo as two players who have been excelling in their leadership roles during conditioning.
After holding one-on-one meetings and sitting down individually with every player on the team, Mendenhall said he has a greater appreciation for his new players than before he started in Charlottesville.
“I like our team. I like who they are first as people,” Mendenhall said. “I like who they are chemistry wise and how they support each other. I like how they work, and they’re going to play well. That’s what I believe.”
Practice opens Tuesday morning at 8 a.m.
