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16 CAVALIER CORNER Athleticism and academics are abundant among the Sanker family. His older brother Nic is a defensive end at Princeton, while two of his younger brothers, Thomas and Lukas, are budding athletes at the Covenant School and Woodberry Forest, respectively. On a fall weekend in 2022, that family athletic prowess was on display in Upstate New York, New Jersey and Central Virginia. Jonas, working his way into a starting role as a second-year, recorded the first interception of his career on a Thursday night in Syracuse. His younger brother Lukas, a sophomore at the time at Woodberry Forest, came up with a pick on Friday night in high school football ac- tion. It was Jonas' older brother Nic's turn on Saturday when he took the field against Le- high in a nonconference matchup. Nic deliv- ered after a challenge from the eldest Sanker, Kendrick, with an interception on the first play of the second half of a 29-17 victory. "The family chat was definitely dinging a lot that weekend," Jonas said with a chuckle. "It definitely meant a lot and it's good to know that you have a good supporting cast just in terms of everyone encouraging the other." On the academic side, Sanker is a foreign affairs major. He enjoys the written aspect of the major and the ability to debate topics in classroom discussions. Admittedly, he yields the family academic crown to his brother Nic at Princeton but was motivated early on in life by his mom to do well in school. "My parents used to pull me out of sports," Sanker said. "They wouldn't let me play if I had C's. That used to bother me. It helped me realize the importance of it, but also motivated me to find a way to be com- petitive in that area of my life." If his ultra-high rating in a video game was any indication of how highly he was thought of among college football pundits, it was con- firmed by the plethora of preseason accolades Sanker accumulated. He was selected by a vote of 170 media members to the preseason All-ACC team. Sanker also was recognized on watch lists for the Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player in college football), the Jim Thorpe Award (top defensive back in college football) and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (top defensive player in college football). Despite all the preseason hype, Sanker has gone to work in the offseason, business as usual. Position coach Curome Cox sees his role expanding further in 2024, not just on the field but from a leadership perspective. "He's working extra in the weight room and it's just correlating and giving him more con- fidence," Cox said during spring action. "He's playing really high-level football right now." Sanker and his teammates now have the privilege of putting the extra work in at the shiny new Molly and Robert Hardie Football Operations Center, a 93,000-square-foot pal- ace erected for the Virginia football program. The space not only vastly upgrades the foot- ball facilities but gives the gridiron student- athletes a home. The state-of-the-art facility allows for players to put in the extra work in the film room, the weight room and most importantly build comradery in places like the dining facility, players' lounge or locker room. "One of the biggest areas of growth [for our team] from last year has been the facil- ity and how much of a family we've been," Sanker said. "With this new facility, we're eating meals together, guys aren't as quick to leave, it's been really good to spend some time together, coaches included." There is always room for improvement, and Sanker is looking to take the next step to create more turnovers and become a game-changer in the Cavalier secondary. Most importantly he wants to step into a leadership role and get the best out of others around him. "Everyone wants the guy that's a good player, but it's hard to be the one that's holding your teammates accountable," said Cox who played three seasons in the NFL after a standout career in the secondary at Maryland. "He's doing a lot more of that this year, being more vocal and holding guys ac- countable individually and collectively." Sanker will be one of the leaders of a revamped Cavalier secondary that includes three transfers at the corner position and a welcome sight in the return of sixth-year safety Antonio Clary. The UVA secondary, led by Sanker, will be one of the most experi- enced groups on the team. When the new EA Sports College Football 25 video game was released, Sanker garnered a rating of 92 — the top strong safety grade in the game. (Photo courtesy UVA)