Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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AUGUST 2017 ◆ 21 ule than the Hoos have dealt with in recent years. Virginia will boast two of the nation's top defensive players, and their decisions to return to school, paired with the number of reps many young players got last season, could lead to a groundswell of expectations for the defense. Offensively, meanwhile, UVA returns its quarterback and many of its wideouts but must replace several start- ers on the offensive line and easily its most productive player, running back Taquan Mizzell. Though the Cavaliers will return a host of important pieces from last year's squad they did have one coaching change, with former associate head coach and defensive line coach Ruffin McNeill leaving this summer to take a similar position at Oklahoma. After McNeill made the difficult decision to be an assistant on the staff of his protégé Lincoln Riley, Mendenhall chose to promote a pro- tégé of his own — former graduate assistant Vic So'oto, who played for Mendenhall at BYU before a career in the NFL. Here's a breakdown of what to look for from the Wahoos this season: TOP PLAYERS Fourth-Year Linebacker Micah Kiser — Mendenhall has said that he didn't need to watch more than just a few plays from his first practice with the team last spring to notice Kiser, and since then, the former Gilman School standout has garnered the attention of the entire league. He's now a two-time All-ACC pick following another standout season where he finished third na- tionally with an ACC-best 134 tackles. In terms of UVA's record book, that's the fourth-best single-season mark, tying Wali Rainer's 134 in 1998. With 266 total tackles in his career, the 6-2, 240-pound linebacker is well on his way to finishing in the top 10 in school history following a 2016 season where Kiser was chosen to the FWAA All- America second team and was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation's best linebacker. He's once again on the watch list for a host of honors, including the Butkus, and both the Bednarik Award and Nagurski Tro- phy (which are given to the best defensive players in college football). Fourth-Year Safety Quin Blanding — Perhaps the closer of the two "stay or go" NFL decisions that went UVA's way, the Virginia Beach native has had an astound- ing career, and returns for his final year in orange and blue. In 2016, he was named to the All-ACC first team for the second year in a row. He finished second in the league (and ninth nationally) with 120 tackles and now sits No. 9 all time at UVA with 358 for his career. The 6-2, 215-pound Blanding has a professional career waiting for him, but first he'll be tasked with being the leader once again of Mendenhall's secondary. This year, Blanding was again named to watch lists for the Bednarik Award, the Nagurski Trophy and the Jim Thorpe Award (given annually to the nation's best defen- sive back). Fourth-Year Quarterback Kurt Ben- kert — Starting 10 of UVA's 12 games last season, the ECU transfer had some good moments in his first year on Grounds. He tied Matt Schaub's 2003 campaign for being the quickest signal-caller to pass for 2,000 yards in a season (eight games) and set the UVA record for passing yards in a game with 421 against Central Michigan. In addition, his five touchdowns against the Chippewas tied him with four other Virginia players for second-most all time in a game. Benkert, who also now holds the school record for most passing yards through 14 career starts, was the first Cava- lier to pass for at least 1,000 yards in his first four career starts. The Hoos will ask much more of the 6-4 Sunshine State native this season after he threw for 2,552 yards in 2016, going 228-of-406 passing (56.2 percent) with 21 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. Third-Year Wide Receiver Olamide Zaccheaus — Mizzell gained 1,376 all- purpose yards a season ago (seventh best in the ACC) and that leaves quite a hole for guys like Zaccheaus to fill. Though he didn't have the 2016 cam- paign he had hoped, the 5-8, 190-pound playmaker from Philadelphia is looking to build on his 51-reception, 584-yard season. He had a team-high seven receiving touch- downs last fall and returns as arguably the team's top weapon, be it in the slot or off the edge. Though he was slowed at times by a ham- string injury in 2016, Zaccheaus had a pro- ductive spring and looks poised for a truly breakout year. Fourth-Year Defensive End Andrew Brown — Speaking of a breakout year, the 6-4, 285-pound Brown certainly had one for UVA last season. He led the Cavaliers with 13 tackles for Fourth-year defensive lineman Andrew Brown led the Cavaliers in tackles for loss (13) and finished second in sacks (six) last year. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA