Cavalier Corner

June 2022

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22 CAVALIER CORNER Numerous key players missed that intra- squad scrimmage because of injuries. More- over, 20 first-years and graduate transfers will join the program this summer, and several of them figure to play prominent roles in the fall. Still, in their first spring under the Fralin Family Head Football Coach Tony Elliott, the Cavaliers laid a foundation for what their new head coach and his staff are striving to build. Elliott came to UVA in December from Clemson, where he spent 11 years on head coach Dabo Swinney's staff. He took over a program that won the ACC's Coastal Division title and played in the Orange Bowl in 2019 but dipped to 5-5 in 2020 and 6-6 in 2021. Many of Elliott's values align with those of his predecessor, Bronco Mendenhall, but their philosophies and approaches are not identical. That was apparent during the Cavaliers' 15 spring practices. Elliott, who retained three assistants from Mendenhall's staff, put numbers on his players' jerseys, revived the Wahoo Walk and prioritized the running game, among other changes. In 2021, led by record-setting fourth-year quarterback Brennan Armstrong, the Hoos ranked first among ACC teams in passing of- fense, but they were last in the league in rush- ing offense. Elliott and new offensive coordi- nator Des Kitchings want a more balanced attack, and UVA's running backs took more handoffs than they could count this spring. "Repetition after repetition," second-year Amaad Foston said. "With all the running plays we've been doing, it's an adjustment because we didn't run the ball as much last year. But it feels great as a running back to know that we're going to get the ball a lot this year, and we're expecting to run the ball." It wasn't an ideal situation. The Cavaliers, who lost their top six offensive linemen from 2021, went through the spring without a full complement of players up front. Among those dealing with injuries were two potential starters, fourth-year guard Derek Devine and second-year tackle Logan Taylor. That meant extensive work for third-year tackle Jonathan Leech plus second-years Ty Furnish (center), Noah Josey (guard), Jestus Johnson III (center) and Charlie Patterson (tackle), among others. "I'm actually pleased offensive line-wise," Elliott said after the Blue-White Game, "to be able to do what we did today considering what we had to do to get here, and for those guys to be able to push through and for Leech to make the progress, for Patterson to make the progress, for Josey to get all those reps and Jestus to get all those reps. "I think it's going to help us. I'm actually encouraged with where we are from an of- fensive line standpoint, and we've just got to get a couple of [newcomers] to come in here and help us." LAYING THE FOUNDATION New Head Coach Tony Elliott Used The Spring To Start Building The Model Program During his first spring in charge, Elliott put numbers on his players' jerseys, revived the Wahoo Walk and prioritized the running game, among other changes. (Photo by Jim Daves/ courtesy UVA) BY JEFF WHITE T he University of Virginia football team that takes the field at Scott Stadium for its Sept. 3 season opener against Richmond will look different from the one that played the Blue-White Game there on April 23.

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