99 Virginia Football Thoughts Before Kickoff

A lot of young players received playing time for the Virginia football team last fall as the Cavaliers made their way back to bowl eligibility for the first time in six years. In fact, 17 true freshman suited up last season and that ranked No. 4 nationally alongside Alabama, Arizona, Baylor, Miami, and Tennessee.

UVA wasted little time in getting those true freshman in action as 10 made their debut in the season opener: Mandy Alonso (DL), Lamont Atkins (TB), Joey Blount (FS), Germane Crowell (CB), Brian Delaney (PK), Matt Gahm (LB), Terrell Jana (WR), PK Kier (TB), A.J. Mejia (PK) and Jamari Peacock (FB) all got in against William & Mary. Zane Zandier (LB) followed against Indiana, while Elliott Brown (LB) and John Kirven (DL) came next against Connecticut.

Charles Snowden (LB) and Darrius Bratton (DB) debuted at Boise State, while Lindell Stone (QB) made his only appearance against Boston College. Chris Glaser (OL) came in against Georgia Tech and played in the final five games. Many of those names are expected on the depth chart this fall.

Just as interesting, perhaps, was that six redshirt freshmen also played for the first time in 2017. Dillon Reinkensmeyer (OT), Brenton Nelson (CB), De’Vante Cross (WR), Nick Grant (CB) Nash Griffin (Holder), and Ben Knutson (OG) all played against the Tribe in the opener and many became significant contributors by the end of the year. Reinkensmeyer started 11 games on the offensive line, while Nelson started all 13 games and became the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. Cross appeared in all 13 games as did Griffin as the holder on special teams. Grant played in 12 games, while Knutson appeared in 10 with two starts on the O-Line.

Are there redshirt freshmen on the roster now that are ready to make contributions in 2018? The “99 Virginia Football Thoughts Before Kickoff” series continues.

No. 71 – Redshirted … Ready?

While UVA did send a lot of true freshman on the field in 2017, the roster still lists 17 redshirt freshman from last fall. That counts both scholarship and walk-on players, but that’s a sign of growing depth across the board as Bronco Mendenhall works to establish a stronger foundation for the program.

Are there any names among those 17 that could emerge in a fashion similar to Reinkensmeyer, Nelson, or others? Here are some candidates with a shot.

First from the offense …

Tyler Fannin, offensive line. While the numbers on the O-Line aren’t at the same critical point as the past two years, the coaches are still building the depth chart up front. Fannin is in competition for the starting center spot with Reinkensmeyer and Jake Fieler, but the unit could have more depth and greater versatility if Fannin wins the job. Regardless, he’s going to get some snaps this season in some role. He averaged 45 pancake blocks over his final two seasons in high school.

Ryan Nelson, offensive line. Along with Glaser, Nelson played a lot of tackle during spring practices. If Fanning wins out at center, that likely pushes Reinkensmeyer out to tackle and grad transfer Marcus Applefield might slot in at tackle too. Still, Nelson and Glaser are big pieces of the big picture so Nelson is likely to get snaps this fall too.

Riah Burton, receiver. After working at defensive back mostly in the fall, Burton moved over to receiver during spring practices. The coaches liked what they saw from the Delaware native and it sounded like he would stick on offense. He won a state title at William Penn on the 4×100 relay team so he could inject some speed on the unit and that’s becoming a priority for the coaching staff. Virginia needs some depth at wideout with Andre Levrone and Doni Dowling finished with their careers. Burton will be one among a gaggle of names trying to emerge.

Darnell Pratt, receiver. A part of the 2017 signing class, there hasn’t been much information around Pratt. Still, he earned all WCAC honors three times at Good Counsel. In his final two years there, he tallied 1,280 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.

And from the defense …

Tommy Christ, defensive line. With the the D-Line facing some serious number issues, particularly in the spring before freshman and grad transfers helped boost the unit, Christ got a lot of reps in the Hoos’ practices this offseason. He earned first-team All-State honors (4A) at Dominion High School and was the Loudoun County Defensive Player of the Year. He made 79 tackles with 13 sacks, four forced fumbles, and nine pass break-ups as a high school senior. He’ll be in the mix for playing time up front.

Shawn Smith, corner. Smith swapped spots with Burton in the spring. A good athlete, he played quarterback as a high school junior, receiver as a senior, and returned kicks at times too. Virginia has some depth in the secondary, but Smith could be a boost on special teams if nowhere else. With some of last season’s big contributors there – Lamont Atkins and Joey Blount in particular – moving into bigger roles on offense and defense, he could be a name to watch on Ricky Brumfield’s units (as could Burton and Pratt).

Germane Crowell, corner. Wait a second – didn’t you read his name in the intro to this article? Yes, you did. Crowell enrolled at Virginia in January, participated in spring practice in 2017, and then played in three of the first four games last fall. He came in for Tim Harris when an injury occurred against William & Mary in the opener, but his own season-ending injury cut the debut year short. Listed as a redshirt freshman, he clearly gained a medical hardship waiver to redshirt. Look to see if he gets into the mix again this fall even though he missed practice this spring.

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