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tion was the way my parents brought me up," he said. "I just learned to deal with whatever was thrown my way and whatever was asked of me. "I knew that when I signed my name back in 2011 to come here it was an investment in the school. It was me telling the school that I'm here to make the team better; I'm here to do my job in any way possible. I had a sense of pride in the commitment I made and a sense of pride in who I was. I didn't want to put anything less than my best out there." That he's been through so much never kept him from being a team player or good teammate. It also makes this past spring all the more rewarding. "I'm really proud of myself for dealing with things the way I did," he said. "There have been a lot of points in my career where I could have broken down and just said, 'Forget it. This is too hard. This isn't what I planned. This isn't how it's supposed to happen.' "I could have let it slip away. And that happens with a lot of guys, they have expectations for themselves, and things don't go that way. Maybe they transfer or lose their work ethic. I wasn't go- ing to let that happen to me." Maybe it was all those nights he spent wonder- ing how it would all work out, but however it hap- pened, Croce has a real sense of purpose heading into his final year as a Wahoo. "I've never really had a problem being assertive and keeping guys accountable because I'd want them to do the same for me," he said. "I wouldn't say it feels different now that I'm a team captain." There's also the very real likelihood that Croce and Connor Wingo-Reeves, as the team's top two fullbacks, will play a key role in the offensive success Virginia has this season. This spring, head coach Mike London and his offensive staff put a real emphasis on the running game, particularly power running. It's an approach that Croce clearly embraces. "I remember texting with Coach London during the offseason and talking about how we have the big bodies to be a big, physical running team," Croce said. "And I think that's what we're going to be. "It's a commitment by everyone, from the line and tight ends to the fullbacks and running backs. It's going to take everyone to make it work the way we want it to, and we got great buy in from everyone. It just fit really well this spring." Maybe it took a while to happen, but it finally appears the time is now for the former defensive lineman. And even though the road to get here has been long, Croce admits that it doesn't feel that way. "Time has gone in the blink of an eye," he said. "Everybody always tells you that four or five years is going to go by faster than you know it, and you think there's no way. "After my fifth year, that's going to be almost a quarter of my life that I've spent in Charlottes- ville. But looking back at all the things I've done and all the experiences I've had, it definitely did go by extremely fast." Obviously, how things go on the field this sea- son will impact the way he views his time on Grounds, but that doesn't mean he isn't already somewhat reflective. "When I look back," Croce said, "I'm just really proud of myself for sticking with it and always putting in the work regardless of my position, regardless of the role I had on the team. I just kept doing everything to the best of my ability, and I think I'm reaping the benefits of that now." ◆ "I've never really had a problem being assertive and keeping guys accountable because I'd want them to do the same for me." CROCE