Technology Helping Virginia Football Stay Connected

Virginia won the ACC Coastal Division.
Bronco Mendenhall led his team to nine wins last season. ~ Kris Wright

When the University of Virginia, the ACC, and the NCAA closed down sports for the remainder of the semester due to the coronavirus outbreak, it quickly changed things for the UVA football program and its players. Spring practices had yet to begin – the start date was scheduled for March 24 – and pro day on April 8 was cancelled as well.

The University also closed the dorms and moved classes to online platforms, while urging students to return home. That meant that the Cavalier football players were now removed from the workout and training facility at the McCue Center. The football program quickly pivoted to cover a lot of the shifting landscape for its players.

Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall said the strength staff was working remotely to design at-home workouts, including some options that could be executed without weights. Coaches began to check in with players at their position regularly. They also adapted videos to show new concepts that would have been incorporated in spring practices and combined that with past video to marry that with old concepts that would be installed once again.

The players already had the use of iPads for film in the past so watching the new cuts isn’t too different. Meeting with coaches is, though. That’s happening through screens now instead of office doors.

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