99 Virginia Football Thoughts Before Kickoff

In 99 Virginia Football Thoughts entry No. 27, I ranked each position on the Virginia offense from strongest to weakest heading into the 2018 season. Wide receiver received the nod as the strongest position in the preseason rankings. Offensive line barely edged out running back for the second spot. Running back is third and quarterback rounded out the rankings.

There were honestly some struggles in ranking the offense, particularly between the offensive line and running back. There is a clearer picture, however, when it comes to ranking the defense, which, despite the loss of All-American linebacker Micah Kiser, All-American safety Quin Blanding, and defensive end Andrew Brown, could be UVA’s best in the Bronco Mendenhall era.

99 Virginia Football Thoughts Before Kickoff: No. 21 – Ranking The Positions On Defense From Strongest To Weakest

1. Defensive Backs

Blanding, Virginia’s all-time leading tackler, has departed, but this group still has the potential to be one of the best in the ACC. The strength is at safety, a position Coach Mendenhall had high praise for following the August 10 practice.

“Brenton [Nelson) and Joey [Blount] and Juan [Thornhill] and Chris Moore, those four are playing really well,” Mendenhall said.

I fully expect to see Juan Thornhill and Brenton Nelson as the starting strong and free safeties against Richmond. However, with the talent of this group and Coach Mendenhall always seeking to get the best 11 players on the field, I also expect to see plenty of Chris Moore and Joey Blount on the field as well.

Thornhill has primarily played cornerback each of the past two seasons. The standout senior has adapted well to the new position, earning All ACC Third-Team honors last season. He begins this season at safety, which I firmly believe is his best position. It should be fun watching the versatile Thornhill be able to showcase his playmaking skills all over the field.

The speedy Nelson is looking to build off his ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year performance. Blount showcases a high football IQ, improved physical stature, and keeps taking steps forward with his performance. Moore brings experience and seems to have rebounded from a lackluster spring. Don’t forget junior Myles Robinson, who was off the team last season but returns to provide depth at safety and corner. Together, if healthy, the safety position is deep and talented and could be a huge part of Virginia’s success this season.

Virginia’s defensive backfield is not without concerns, and those concerns lie at cornerback. Certainly not with junior Bryce Hall, who started all 13 games last season and has started 20 games in total his freshman and sophomore campaigns. Thornhill teamed with Hall last season to form a terrific duo on the outside. With Thornhill at safety, Virginia will need to find consistent production opposite Hall. Tim Harris returns for a sixth-year and is the probable frontrunner. However, Harris has missed most of the past two seasons because of injury. A significant physical talent, the Richmond (VA) native has not put together an entire season of consistent production. Sophomore Darrius Bratton is emerging as well.

2. Linebackers

It goes without saying that it’s going to be difficult to replace Kiser, a fifth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams. Fortunately, the Hoos return two linebacker stalwarts in senior Chris Peace and junior Jordan Mack.

Led by Peace, the outside linebacker position is in better shape as we head into 2018. Sophomore Charles Snowden demonstrated his playmaking abilities last year and seems poised to take over the other outside linebacker spot, with fellow sophomore Matt Gahm earning praise for his consistency on the outside as well.

While the outside appears solid, Mendenhall and company are searching for a starter alongside Mack on the inside. Candidates include sixth-year senior Malcolm Cook, who played outside linebacker last season but has bulked up and moved inside, promising sophomore Zane Zandier, redshirt sophomore Rob Snyder, senior C.J. Stalker and junior Dominic Sheppard. Zandier, a physical specimen with a high upside, served as Kiser’s backup last season, but as of last spring his development wasn’t moving as fast as he or the coaches would like according to Mendenhall.

3. Defensive Line

Whether he’s at end or nose, Eli Hanback is outstanding. Defensive end Mandy Alonso emerged late last season as a true freshman and looks very good as well (assuming he’s healthy – he was in a boot at the August 10 practice, but it didn’t look to be serious). Finding that third defensive lineman starter and establishing depth are huge questions for the Cavaliers heading into the 2018 campaign, however.

Outside of Hanback and Alonso, there isn’t much in the way of proven experience on the defensive line. Former tight end Richard Burney moved to defensive end before last year’s Military Bowl. He has stuck on defense and shows solid potential. Aside from these two, Virginia is counting on its own redshirt freshmen as well as new blood in the form of transfers and true freshmen on the defensive line.

Virginia is awaiting the arrival of Ohio State graduate transfer Dylan Thompson, who would bring maturity and impressive size but not much in the way of production. He has yet to arrive on Grounds, however. Former Michigan State Spartan Cassius Peat has enrolled as a transfer and has immediate eligibility. He appeared to be hampered by an injury at practice last Friday (August 10). If healthy, he showed in his short time in East Lansing that he can play, which hopefully bodes well in terms of his ability to contribute this season. Additionally, Mendenhall cited true freshmen Aaron Faumui and Jordan Redmond last Friday for their performance through six preseason practices.

So there are some possible solutions on the defensive line, but for now it’s the biggest question mark on the team this preseason.

The “99 Virginia Football Thoughts Before Kickoff” series has discussed much more. The previous articles are below. Click away.

• No. 99 – The Importance Of A Fast Start
• No. 98 – The Impact Of Early-Ending Careers
• No. 97 – Jordan Mack’s Role
• No. 96 – Welcome Back
• No. 95 – Han Solo Says
• No. 94 – Smart Addition
• No. 93 – The Center Spot
• No. 92 – Finding A Punt Returner
• No. 91 – Facing Running Quarterbacks
• No. 90 – Interceptions
• No. 89 – Kickoff Times
• No. 88 – QB Optimism Not Enough To Tilt Early Predictions Too Far
• No. 87 – It Starts With Jordan Ellis
• No. 86 – Virginia’s Most Dangerous Game
• No. 85 – The Tight End Swan Song?
• No. 84 – Teach A Man To Fish
• No. 83 – No Ordinary Joe
• No. 82 – Now Or Then
• No. 81 – How To Treat The Kickoff Rule Change
• No. 80 – Play, But Still Redshirt
• No. 79 – Which Red Zone Offense Is The Real One?
• No. 78 – Schedule For Success
• No. 77 – Who’s The Worst?
• No. 76 – ACC Coach Rankings
• No. 75 – Keep That Cold Weather Gear
• No. 74 – 1,000 Target For OZ
• No. 73 – Cross Out Cross-Training For Cross
• No. 72 – Punting Plans
• No. 71 – Redshirted … Ready?
• No. 70 – A June Jolt
• No. 69 – Who?
• No. 68 – Stops To Start Second Half
• No. 67 – Root, Root, Root For …
• No. 66 – Wildcard Extras
• No. 65 – Defense Showed Red Zone Improvement
• No. 64 – Welcome Back, Mr. Robinson
• No. 63 – The Florida Footprint
• No. 62 – True Freshmen Will Play, But Who Will Make The Most Impact?
• No. 61 – Four Fireworks-Worthy Moments In The Bronco Mendenhall Era
• No. 60 – Juan Thornhill Primed For An All-ACC Caliber Season
• No. 59 – Rebuilding The Offensive Line Is On Schedule
• No. 58 – Bouncing Back On The Defensive Line
• No. 57 – Underrated Hoos
• No. 56 – Lordy, Lordy, How ‘Bout 40?
• No. 55 – Peace Talk
• No. 54 – Hoos’ Handle On Social Media Bodes Well For Future Recruiting
• No. 53 – Filling The Void At Wide Receiver
• No. 52 – The Sixth-Year Seniors
• No. 51 – Borrowing A Burning Question
• No. 50 – Beat Tech!
• No. 49 – A Resolute Leader
• No. 48 – The Perkins Theorem
• No. 47 – Beat Pitt!
• No. 46 – A Look At Virginia Football’s 2018 Walk-On Class
• No. 45 – I Sense A Trend
• No. 44 – The Need For (More) Speed
• No. 43 – Progress With Penalties
• No. 42 – Preseason All-ACC Musings
• No. 41 – Designing Sacks
• No. 40 – Go Long
• No. 39 – Please Stay Healthy!
• No. 38 – Sorting Out The Secondary
• No. 37 – Preseason Injury Report Concerns
• No. 36 – The Third Down Swap
• No. 35 – The Last Time
• No. 34 – More Rushing Options
• No. 33 – Opponents Say
• No. 32 – Preseason Practice Watch List
• No. 31 – Snowden Emerging
• No. 30 – Deja Vu With Dubois?
• No. 29 – Reduce Opponents’ Explosive Touchdowns
• No. 28 – Nelson’s Encore
• No. 27 – Ranking The Positions On Offense From Strongest To Weakest
• No. 26 – Hold On To That Ball Petey!
• No. 25 – R.J., The Elder
• No. 24 – Bratton’s Road Of Resilience
• No. 23 – Tag Team Linebacker
• No. 22 – Numbers Begin To Fill In