2003 Fall Football News: Virginia Opens Fall Practice

“It’s time to go out and play some ball.”


Such was the sentiment of Virginia head coach Al Groh as he was preparing to lead his Cavaliers onto the field for the first practice of the 2003 football season. The start of the season comes with plenty of expectations of championships and a national title, and the players, along with Groh, plan on meeting those challenges head on.


“The challenge is an ongoing one,” Groh said this morning before practice began. “Even more so for this team. Good teams have a certain level of achievement from year to year, and we want to get to that level. Nothing that happened last year will help win games this year. It’s time to start bringing the juice all over again.”


The first practice of a new season was full of intensity that could be felt and seen throughout the proceedings. Several players noted how fall practice just had a different feeling than spring practice, because players were itching to get the season started. As has become customary with Groh at the helm, the fall practice is being run as a “training camp,” with the team staying together in a hotel and practices having a distinct professional feel.


“There is a lot of intensity out there, man, “ said freshman Ahmad Brooks , who joined the Cavaliers in January. “Coach was really pushing all of us today, and we all know that’s going to be how it is all year. It gets guys psyched up the way the coaches run practice, when there is all that intensity on the field.”


Because of new NCAA practice regulations, today was the first day that Groh was able to see his freshmen practice. Everyone was present and accounted for, and Coach Groh was impressed with them on the first day, saying that “[the freshmen] sure do have a lot of size and speed.”


The Cavaliers began the practice by completing their running tests during the hottest part of the practice. After they finished running on the turf field, they moved to the practice fields to work specifically on drills in their units. After some kicking drills, in which Connor Hughes looked “so-so” and Bryan Smith was impressive, Groh moved the teams to work on some situational offense versus defense, in which the pre-fall starters on defense adorned their now famous “Orange Crush” jerseys. There were no surprises as to who wore the jerseys, but it is likely that Ahmad Brooks or Kai Parham, who both played with the 2nd team defense, will take over one of the starting positions by August 30th, when Virginia opens up against Duke.


There were no real surprises on the first day of practice, as it was a hard, intense day of practice from all angles, but players were just happy to get back on the field and with the teammates they know so well.


“We are all just glad to be back out on the field,” All-ACC guard Elton Brown said after the first practice. “These guys are all our family, and we are just happy to be back with the family again.”


Practice News and Notes

  • Everyone was ready to go except for Marques Hagans, who was sitting out with a bout of the flu. Groh said that he expects Hagans back soon, once he has fully recovered. Hagans will be at wide receiver when he returns, as Groh hopes he will add more playing making ability to the receiving corps.

  • It was a good sign for Cavalier coaches and fans that every player appeared to be present, as there were players that needed to improve their grades going into the fall to remain on the team. While grades had not come back for most of the players, Groh hopes that they will turn out well for everyone. “We are still waiting for some [grades] to come back,” he said. Kai Parham showed up late for practice, but he had a good excuse, as he was busy taking five hours worth of exams.

  • Kenneth Tynes, who was mysteriously absent from the official updated roster on the Virginia web site is still on the team, according to Groh. He is, however, on a “sabbatical that was determined by both Kenneth and myself.” It is unknown when he will return to practice and play with the team.

  • Kevin Bailey “had to take a break” from working out his knee during the summer due to a situation unrelated to his knee, Groh said. It was unclear whether the setback was due to an injury, or some other complication. Zac Yarbrough practiced with the first team offense today, and will figure to be the starter until Bailey’s knee is completely healthy, and he is ready to fight for his spot. Yarbrough was in for all 9 of Virginia’s wins last season, and he reported to camp today at 280 pounds, which he says is right on the mark.

  • Several players have put on a little more weight during the summer, though it isn’t necessarily good for everyone involved. D’Brickashaw Ferguson was one player who did need to put on weight, and he succeeded, adding “15-20 pounds worth of muscle,” according to Groh. “He’s got visible muscles and a lot more body weight. It’s a good change for him.”

  • On the other side of the ball, Ahmad Brooks checked in at 255 pounds, 10 pounds over his desired playing weight. It is of no concern to him, however, as he believes he will get that weight off fairly soon. “I’ll sweat it all off during the practices,” he said. “It gets so hot out there that it’s no problem at all.”

  • Kevin McCabe , who coach Groh has repeatedly said has the chance to become a great quarterback, looked terrific in his first practice, and will look to push Anthony Martinez for the backup spot this fall. It is uncertain now if McCabe will redshirt, but if he continues to look good, he may force Groh to keep him active throughout.

  • Ron Prince, Virginia’s new offensive coordinator, was extremely visible and vocal in today’s offense/defense drills. Prince, who says that he still likes to work closely with the offensive line, was drilling instructions to all of the offensive players today. “It’s just expanding my duties,” he said. “I’m just part of the system, and we’re all here trying to win a championship.”

  • The Cavaliers were in helmets only today, and the same goes for tomorrow evening’s practice. They will add shoulder pads through Saturday, and go fully equipped on Sunday.

This update would normally be for paid subscribers only, but we wanted to throw one out to everyone as an example of what Sabre Edge has to offer. Look forward to another report tomorrow, and more reports daily from TheSabre.com, as we will follow fall practice and the regular season closely throughout the year. If you’re not a Sabre Edge subscriber, and would like to read updates such as this one in addition to recruiting updates, articles, special features and interviews with coaches and players, subscribe to the Sabre Edge and don’t miss a single update!