It’s been nine months since Will Bettridge stood on a stage inside the John Paul Jones Arena and helped memorialize his friend D’Sean Perry. He recalled his playing days from childhood to college, time shared with Perry from pee wee football to the Palmetto Bay Broncos to Gulliver Prep to the University of Virginia.
At each stop, Perry provided a road map of sorts for a younger teammate. Bettridge told everyone how Perry always served as a role model and mentor. He spoke to the crowd about his admiration for his friend and his view on life. He remembered Perry’s infectious smile.
Bettridge said Perry’s presence was felt each and every day they were able to share the field. As Virginia prepares to play its first game since the tragic shooting deaths of Perry, Lavel Davis Jr., and Devin Chandler, Bettridge will be able to keep that presence here in spirit. Bettridge will wear No. 41, Perry’s old number, this season – something he called an honor to uplift Perry’s legacy.
“It was amazing,” Bettridge said. “When Coach [Tony] Elliott came up to me and asked me about switching my jersey for the year, it was already something that was thought in my mind, but I didn’t know how the Perry family felt about it and Coach Elliott felt about it. They both gave me all their blessings to wear the number and I couldn’t feel more proud. It’s just amazing how they’re never forgotten and I like being able to do my part to make sure his legacy lives on forever and if that means wear his jersey, I’m more than happy to. It just makes me feel proud being able to represent him, one of my closest friends, so I’ll do the most I can for him.”
Bettridge made sure to tribute his friend during the team’s annual in-house media day too. During individual photo shoots, players can wear an off-field outfit for one round of pictures. The sophomore kicker chose a t-shirt with Perry’s image as well as customized sneakers that honored the late linebacker’s playing days at both Gulliver Prep and UVA.
Happy Perry, D’Sean’s mother, helped arrange for an artist to make the shoes for Bettridge. On the outside of one shoe, there is a high school playing photo and on the other, there is Perry in the Virginia No. 41. The inside panels feature “in honor of D’Sean Perry” on one foot and “Forever in our ❤️” on the other. “I said I wanted a picture of him in high school and him here,” Bettridge said. ”They turned out amazing.”
On the field, Bettridge will be wearing kicking cleats of course. He is expected to win the starting placekicker job after he appeared in 6 of 10 games as a true freshman last fall. He made 7 of 10 field goals, which is just two makes shy of the UVA freshman record set by Wayne Morrison in 1979. Bettridge made 12 of 14 extra points as well.
The Miami native went back and watched film of his season last year and believes he can improve on those numbers. Bettridge noted some uncertainty in his kicks that he thinks should be alleviated by the return of the entire field goal operation and what he learned as a freshman. Long snapper Aidan Livingston and holder Jared Rayman both have entered their fifth season of college football so their experience should translate to everything that happens before a kick.
“I’m usually looking at the operation first [on film] and a lot of trust in the holder,” Bettridge said. “I feel like year, sometimes I was a little shaky trusting the snap and hold was going to be there – coming from high school, and I hope it gets down. I feel like I’m 100% confident that no matter what they do, it’s going to get down every time. Watching the ball, rotation of the spin from the snapper, and try not to focus on the O-Line.”
While Virginia may split the field goal and kickoff duties, Elliott would like to see more consistency from Bettridge now that he has kicked in college for a season. The numbers provide a little glimpse at the thought process. Bettridge made kicks from 34, 41, and 47 yards, that last one being the longest in a game for the Hoos since 2019. On the other hand, he had a miss from 43 yards and on some occasions, the team elected to pooch punt rather than attempt longer field goals.
Of Bettridge’s 7 made field goals, 4 came in the game against Miami. That means he made just a single kick in three other games. That can be a reflection of the offense’s struggles as a whole, but also that the kicking operation did not show enough consistency to warrant attempting kicks in some game situations.
“Consistency, I’m thinking 40 and in, let’s have a very, very high percentage right there,” Elliott said. “What I’m looking for is the ball consistently coming off of his foot, getting his plant leg down, consistent motion with his swing, the ball is not all over the place, that’s what I’m looking for.”
Bettridge wants to push that consistency farther out than that. He made 31 field goals at Gulliver Prep and had a career-best 54-yarder there. Kornblue Kicking rated as the No. 1 kicker in the nation for his high school class.
Bettridge believes that the kicking operation’s year together on the field as well as their relationship off the field – they hang out together and frequent restaurants like Guajiros Miami Eatery, which is coincidentally owned by some guys that went to his rival high school back home – can help up the range and consistency this season.
The Cavaliers kick off the season on Saturday, Sept. 2 at noon against Tennessee in Nashville.
“I’m feeling confident wherever you put me,” Bettridge said. “We had two kicks at the end of [this early preseason] practice, hit ‘em both from 44 and 49. I think you can push that 40 and in to 50 and in. I’m feeling pretty confident. Got the same snapper, same holder back this year, so I’m feeling good.”
