Steve Greer led the team in tackles in 2009 and 2011.

Change has been a recurring theme for the Virginia defense the past few seasons. In 2009, UVa ran the 3-4 alignment on defense in Al Groh’s final season in Charlottesville. Two years ago, new head coach Mike London and new defensive coordinator Jim Reid brought the 4-3 scheme to Grounds. Defensive backs were moved to linebacker and linebackers were moved to the defensive line, all in an effort to get more speed on the field. The unit experienced massive growing pains in the first year of the 4-3, as the Cavaliers were statistically one of the worst defenses in the ACC. After a turnaround season in 2011, the Cavs entered spring ball with just four returning starters on defense. Through all the changes, one thing has remained the same for the Cavalier defense, though: the play of linebacker Steve Greer .

Greer has been a model of stability at middle linebacker, anchoring the Cavalier defense for the past three seasons. The Ohio native burst onto the scene his redshirt freshman year, finishing the season with 92 total tackles, the seventh most in a season by a UVa freshman. Following a 3-9 season in 2009, Groh was fired and London brought in the 4-3 in an effort to revamp the Virginia defense. Greer played in the 4-3 in high school, but would have to adjust to being the lone man in the middle at the college level.

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