A lot of offseason chatter for the Virginia football team has focused on players leaving key positions. Quarterback Kurt Benkert, middle linebacker Micah Kiser, and safety Quin Blanding all finished their careers last fall. All three are with NFL teams now. Benkert is with the Falcons, Kiser is with the Rams, and Blanding is with the Redskins.
While it’s not the same as those three positions since those occupied the field for nearly every offensive or defensive snap last season, I’m curious about another spot …
No. 92 – Finding A Punt Returner
Over Bronco Mendenhall’s first two seasons at UVA, one player has handled the punt return duties. Daniel Hamm, however, won’t be back this fall. He played for five years at Virginia thanks to a medical hardship waiver from his true freshman season, which got cut short after two games. Hamm scored a touchdown in all five seasons.
As a punt returner, Hamm fielded 44 punts over the last two seasons at an exact 22-22 split. In 2016, he posted 22 returns for 216 yards, an average of 9.8 yards per return. The Hoos ranked 34th nationally with that 9.82 yards per return number. In 2017, he recorded 22 returns for 98 yards, an average of 4.5 yards per return. The Hoos ranked 114th nationally with that 4.45 yards per return number.
That drop likely had to do with the punt return unit as a whole vs. Hamm’s return abilities. The reasons he fit well in that role didn’t change last fall. First, he proved to be a sure-handed punt catcher. The fumble at Miami last season was really the only issue there. He also caught most punts and prevented hidden yardage losses from rolling kicks. Hamm also acted decisively as a returner. He fielded the punt, made the first cut quickly, and then tried to get through to the second level of pursuit.
Calm, consistent, and reliable.
With Hamm’s eligibility finished at Virginia, one of the big decisions for new special teams coordinator Ricky Brumfield then will be finding a replacement. One of the first things Brumfield did upon his hire was watch winter workouts and take notes. He wanted to see who looked fluid with movement, who had endurance and durability, and who might fit into certain roles on the team. Throughout spring practices, the Cavaliers drilled fundamentals for special teams. They did not begin to build full units, though.
Some possibilities for the punt return role exist on the roster. Seniors like Olamide Zaccheaus and Juan Thornhill have some of the intangibles plus the open-field ability that you’d look for (Zaccheaus returned five punts as a true freshman even), but they are both likely too valuable elsewhere in terms of workload to put in the punt return spot. Receiver Joe Reed, who earned All-ACC honorable mention recognition as a kick returner last season, seems suited to remain in that role, but maybe not to double up for punts.
Someone like sophomore Chuck Davis could be a good candidate. He’s worked as Hamm’s backup previously and has fielded a lot of kicks in practice settings. Lamont Atkins, someone else that’s been in game action already, seems to have the ball skills coaches like in a punt returner. Shawn Smith and Riah Burton each redshirted last season, but Smith returned a kick for a touchdown in high school and Burton was a member of his high school’s state champion 4×100 relay team in 2015. Darnell Pratt redshirted last season too and he was a high school track star in multiple events. All of those skill players seem to have at least one trait that could translate to the return game.
At least two players joining UVA in the 2018 recruiting class could insert themselves into the special teams discussion as well. Baltimore receiver Ugo Obasi showed a lot of open field speed and moves in his high school career so that’s one option. The other is Tavares Kelly out of Florida. His highlight film is full of punt returns and he’s got a lot of the characteristics that make players successful in that role. Keep a close eye on him in the preseason to see if he quickly puts himself into the discussion.
Since starting the “99 Virginia Football Thoughts Before Kickoff” series, a full week has passed. Topics so far have included Jordan Mack, Han Solo, and recent transfer commit Cassius Peat among others. The previous articles are below. Click away.
