Kiser, a 6-2, 240-pounder from Balti-
more, had a special season last year. He led
the ACC (and finished 17th nationally) with
9.8 tackles per game. In fact, he and safety
Quin Blanding were the only teammates
in the Football Bowl Subdivision to finish
the year first and second in their respective
conferences in tackles. Kiser also went on
to become an All-ACC first-team selection.
It's no surprise, then, that even as he tran-
sitioned from the 4-3 defense of the pre-
vious regime to Mendenhall's 3-4, Kiser
continued to make plays. It's why he was
named to several preseason watch lists in-
cluding those for the Bednarik, Nagurski
and Butkus awards.
Last season, Kiser averaged an ACC-best 9.8 tackles per game and was named first-team
all-conference.
PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA
