During the Virginia men’s lacrosse team’s run to the National Championship in May, coach Lars Tiffany shared a phrase about defender Cole Kastner that became a part of the story: The 39 Project. The general idea behind it was that the Cavaliers were trying to unlock the obvious potential of the 6’7” freshman.

With football season approaching, that phrase is still something that sticks out from the latest sports year. Could a similar phrase be applied to someone on the UVA football team? Fans probably can come up with several candidates, but there’s an interesting possibility on offense. That’s the focus of the latest summer reading article in the “50 Thoughts Before Virginia Football Kickoff” series – The Jelani Project.

When Bronco Mendenhall and company first arrived in Charlottesville, it seemed like the tight end position may be phased out over time as a receiving target. The Cavaliers used the talents of Evan Butts, but Richard Burney moved to defense eventually and the recruiting pipeline didn’t indicate a priority for the position. In recent seasons, however, there was a strategy shift as a tight end recruiting focus returned and the staff brought in graduate transfers to fill the gap.

Last season, Central Michigan transfer Tony Poljan stepped in as a featured player. Poljan finished with 38 receptions, 411 yards, and 6 touchdowns. Those numbers were second behind Billy Kemp IV, fourth behind Kemp, Lavel Davis Jr., and Terrell Jana, and first on the team.

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