When Bronco Mendenhall first assessed the Virginia football roster, he said he was concerned with the depth on the offensive line. While that is something being addressed in recruiting, the Cavaliers lost some depth at that position Thursday for the upcoming season. Seniors Sadiq Olanrewaju and Eric Tetlow each decided to retire from football due to medical reasons, the program announced in a news release.
Olanrewaju entered the program as a 3-star recruit out of Salisbury School in Connecticut where his team went 9-0 his senior year. At 6’6” and 300 pounds with plus athleticism, he offered enticing potential and found his way on the field as a true freshman in 2013 when he played in five games. Injuries, however, caught up to him during his UVA career. He missed four games in 2014 and the entire 2015 season as a result. While he participated in a limited capacity in 2016 spring practice, he elected to retire from football.
In the end, he played in 13 games and 434 plays during his career.
Tetlow, meanwhile, joined Virginia as a late addition to the 2013 recruiting class. He switched his commitment from Wake Forest to UVA on signing day in February. The 3-star recruit out of Mills Godwin in Richmond filled the need for depth on the offensive line in that class and carved out a role as a true freshman thanks to his versatility and knowledge. He appeared in five games that season and entered training camp in 2014 in the mix to start at center where he was locked in competition with Jackson Matteo for the starting role. An injury in training camp, however, eventually led to a redshirt in 2014 and he missed the entire 2015 season with an injury as well.
In the end, Tetlow played in 108 plays in his career.
While the Cavaliers already had worked around the injuries in preparation this spring, the duo’s decision to retire does further limit the depth available. As mentioned in this Sabre Summer List, Jackson Matteo and Eric Smith both are expected to have big roles on the offensive line due to their combined experience. Matteo snapped the ball on all but one play last season as the starting center, while Smith allowed just two sacks among 413 passing plays a year ago. Michael Mooney, who is trying to make a comeback from injury, Jack English, Jake Fieler, Sean Karl, and Jack McDonald have some experience as well.
UVA also announced in the news release that true freshmen Deedrick Daniels and Trysten Hill, who signed in February, will not enroll at the school and will not join the football program. Both players are out of Florida. Daniels projected at defensive back, while Hill projected to the defensive line.
