Virginia Football Quarterback Bryce Perkins Wins The 2018 Dudley Award

By: Chris Horne |

Quarterback Bryce Perkins has become the ninth Virginia Cavalier to win the Dudley Award, an honor given annually to the state of Virginia’s top Division 1 collegiate player. Perkins was announced as this year’s recipient at the annual Dudley Award banquet held in Richmond, Virginia.

James Madison cornerback Jimmy Moreland and Virginia Tech defensive tackle Ricky Walker were finalists for the 2018 Dudley Award along with Perkins, but the Cavalier signal caller was the unanimous choice by a panel of 15 voters.

Perkins, a junior, transferred to UVA from Arizona Western College in January of 2018. By the end of spring football, he had been named the team’s starting quarterback by head coach Bronco Mendenhall. Perkins rewarded his coach’s decision, exceeding all expectations while leading the Hoos to a 7-5 record and the program’s second consecutive bowl berth. The 6’3”, 205-pound dual-threat signal caller established a Virginia single-season record with 3,314 yards of offense. Additionally, he has been responsible for 188 points, which ranks 2nd in the ACC and no. 16 in the country.

The Dudley Award, named for legendary UVA player “Bullet” Bill Dudley, has been given annually since 1990. Previous winners from the University of Virginia include quarterbacks Shawn Moore (1990) and Matt Blundin (1991), defensive end Mike Frederick (1994), running back Tiki Barber (1996), safety Anthony Poindexter (1997), wide receiver Billy McMullen (2001), defensive end Chris Long (2007) and linebacker Micah Kiser (2017).

Virginia football enjoyed quite a bit of success on Wednesday night. The Touchdown Club of Virginia honored Perkins as Virginia’s Offensive Back of the Year and presented junior cornerback Bryce Hall (Defensive Back of the Year), senior linebacker Chris Peace (Linebacker of the Year), senior wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus (Offensive End of the Year) and Lester Coleman (Co-Humanitarian Award winner) with awards as well.