Six University of Virginia scholarship defensive linemen have either given up football or transferred since the end of last season, a huge hit to the Cavalier 2018 season depth chart. Coach Bronco Mendenhall has addressed those concerns by moving Richard Burney from tight end to defensive end, Osiris Crutchfield from tight end to defensive end, adding Ohio State graduate transfer Dylan Thompson and signing three defensive line prospects in the class of 2018.
Despite the roster moves and new additions, the need for defensive linemen in the short term remains. The Hoos have added another piece today through the junior college ranks. Cassius Peat, a 6’3”, 275-pound prospect who will have two years of eligibility remaining beginning this fall, reportedly has pledged to the Wahoos.
247Sports broke the news, which Rivals.com reports as well. Cavalier defensive line coach Vic So’oto was certainly pleased this morning.
Uh oh
LET'S GOOOO!!!!#SILVERBACK
— Vic So'oto (@Coach_Sooto) May 30, 2018
Virginia added a junior college transfer in January, when quarterback Bryce Perkins enrolled after transferring from Arizona Western. Perkins is now No. 1 on the quarterback depth chart heading into preseason practice. Both Perkins and Peat hail from Arizona, where Perkins attended Chandler High School while Peat attended Corona Del Sol.
A consensus 3-star recruit out of high school (some ranked him as an outside linebacker while others as a defensive end), Peat signed with Michigan State in February of 2015 over offers from Oklahoma, UCLA and others. He redshirted in 2015. Peat made the Spartans depth chart as a second-team defensive tackle following spring practice 2016. However, in August of 2016, he transferred from East Lansing (reportedly due to academics) and landed at a junior college in Arizona.
Peat committed to re-enroll at Michigan State last summer; however, he was denied the opportunity.
“We’ve been in contact with Cassius throughout this semester,” Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio told MLive.com in this article in June of 2017. “There’s certain things that you’ve got to get done before you can come back. It’s one of those things, but I don’t want to speak bad about anybody.”
Peat played defensive tackle for Scottsdale Community College last fall and is credited with four tackles in two games, per ACCAC.com.
Peat comes from a successful football family. His father, Todd, played collegiately at Northern Illinois before playing in the NFL. He has two older brothers who played college football, including Andrus, who starred at Stanford before being selected in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints.
With this latest news, Virginia’s 2018 projected scholarship defensive line list looks like this:
– Dylan Thompson, DL, Senior
– Richard Burney, DE, Junior
– Eli Hanback, NT, Junior
– Mandy Alonso, DE, Sophomore
– Osiris Crutchfield, DL, Sophomore
– Isaac Buell, DL, Redshirt Freshman
– Tommy Christ, DL, Redshirt Freshman
– Aaron Faumui, DE, Freshman
– Jordan Redmond, DL, Freshman
– Samson Reed, NT, Freshman
Playing experience remains an issue, as Hanback and Alonso are the only two players who have any major college starting experience on the D-line. The addition of Peat, a well-regarded player out of high school, gives Virginia another player with good potential at a key position of need.
