Bronco emerges from camp healthiest of any team he’s ever coached

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Bronco Mendenhall decided to take an NFL approach to training camp this year, not necessarily less contact, but “less finishing,” less taking players to the ground. With the new philosophy, Virginia’s football team heads into this Saturday night’s season-opener against William & Mary in great condition.

“We are as healthy as any team that I’ve coached probably in my entire career coming out of fall camp,” Mendenhall said in his weekly presser. “That doesn’t mean perfectly healthy, but our emphasis shows in the health of our team right now.”

Mendenhall wanted to keep contact and physicality as in past camps, but ordered less finishing, which meant not tackling to the ground or blocking to the ground.

Ryan Swoboda, a senior offensive tackle, said Monday that he can tell a difference in his physical condition coming out of camp.

“I think [coaches] definitely put an emphasis on workload, but I think when you get veteran guys who know how to maximize every rep, you can do that,” Swoboda said. “If you’ve got guys who haven’t really gone through a fall camp, you might need to give them 40 to 50 plays just to show them how to really work and get that work in, but with veteran guys you can give them 20 plays, and we can go hard to make those 20 plays be as taxing as 50.

“My body feels great. At this point in camp, I’ve never felt this good, to be honest. Usually you’ve got some bruises and you’re sore and stuff like that, so I appreciate the emphasis on the workload.”

The Cavaliers, heavy favorites against FCS opponent William & Mary for the opener (7:30, Regional Sports Network), are eager to return to Scott Stadium and thousands of fans after last year’s pandemic protocols that prohibited large crowds. UVA has won 17 of its last 19 home games, including a 52-17 rout of the Tribe in 2019.

Mendenhall’s predecessor at UVA, is William & Mary coach Mike London, in his third season with the Tribe. London’s team is 6-9 after two seasons, including a 1-2 record this past spring. Several of his assistant coaches have ties to Virginia as well. Vincent Brown, the associate head coach, came to UVA as an assistant to Al Groh, while five more London assistants played at Virginia: Matt Johns, Ras-I Dowling, Darryl Blackstock, Keenan Carter and Gordie Sammis.

London’s team was predicted to finish 11th in the CAA in a preseason poll.

Virginia released its depth chart (see related article on this site) and there were few surprises with so many veterans returning to the team.

One humorous notation was Keytaon Thompson’s job description. Last season, after he had transferred from Mississippi State, Thompson found himself lining up at receiver, running back and quarterback. With a year of getting acclimated to all the various positions, and the threat of him lining up almost anywhere in the offense, Mendenhall chose not to designate a single position for Thompson.

“I’m asked so frequently what position does Keytaon play,” Mendenhall said. “You’ll notice ‘football player’ is what it will say there, FBP, so that’s [Thompson’s] position.”

Mendenhall also fielded a question about offensive lineman Bobby Haskins, who started for a time last year, but was listed on the depth chart as a backup.

“By the time game day arrives [Haskins] could be in one of those starting spots,” the coach said. “It’s that close, right? So he’s listed at two but really one of the five. But when you have six and there are only five spots … I wouldn’t be surprised if he is starting on Saturday.

“It’s that close between he and the other five, which is a great position to be in as a coach. I’d feel even greater if there were seven rather than six.”

Meanwhile the running back competition is just as close.

“I like the depth that is coming up and I love the experience that we have there,” Mendenhall said.

UVA boasts several backs with experience, led by Wayne Taulapapa, and backed up by sophomore Mike Hollins, who opted out last season, Ronnie Walker Jr., transfer Devin Darrington and freshman Ahmad Foston.

“I mean it is so close,” Mendenhall said. “Wayne’s experience gives him a more every-play role in anything we’re doing because we’ve seen him do it all. Mike Hollins adds a dynamic ball carrier emphasis that’s special.

“Ronny, there is a speed and dynamic component that comes with that. Devin Darrington might be the most effective runner through camp. Really hard to say right now who and how many touches and what roles. It’s a photo finish as of Monday going into getting to Saturday, so too early to say what the plan is.”