The Virginia football team wrapped up spring practice this month as three new coordinators got their first chance to work with the Cavaliers. One group that turned heads this spring is the defensive line, thanks in part to the new approach of Jon Tenuta. The unit led the Orange and Blue defenses to 14 sacks in the Spring Game.

That’s because, as expected, Tenuta has brought an aggressive mindset to Charlottesville. There are varying packages, multiple blitzes for both the run and the pass, and a lot of twists and stunts for the defensive line. The idea? To create lanes for defenders to make plays in more open space. Or as Brent Urban puts it, there’s a chance for someone on defense to make a big, drive-altering play on nearly every snap. The Cavaliers want to have a dominant defense and the new mindset has caught on quickly with the players.

“We’re trying to be the best. There’s no defense out there that’s not trying to be the best and that’s what we’re trying to do,” linebacker Daquan Romero said. “We’re just trying to learn everything as smoothly as we can as fast we can and be the best defense that we can.”

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