Virginia’s quarterback competition is close in training camp

By Jerry Ratcliffe

It came as no surprise that Bronco Mendenhall said Friday that Brennan Armstrong has the lead in the Virginia quarterback race. It also was not a surprise that Keytaon Thompson isn’t far behind.

Mendenhall said that his offensive staff has kept the reps to be as even as possible in the early going and that the practices have been more team oriented with the quarterback decision being the main driver.

“As of today, Brennan Armstrong would have the lead at this point,” the coach said. “Keytaon is an amazing athlete and can do a lot of things really well. Right now, the slight nod would go to Brennan if I was choosing today, but we’re four weeks out.”

Mendenhall said he has also been pleasantly surprised how well Lindell Stone has managed the team and how quickly true freshman Ira Armstead has come along.

“I like our depth at quarterback,” Mendenhall said. “I like the possibilities of that position being the healthiest that it has been since I’ve been the coach at UVA (this is his fifth year).”

Armstrong is a 6-foot-2, 220-pound sophomore from Shelby, Ohio, and was the backup the past two seasons to record-breaking Bryce Perkins, who is now with the L.A. Rams. Armstrong appeared in half of UVA’s 14 games last season and completed 15 of 20 passes for 196 yards, two touchdowns and was picked off twice.

Thompson is a 6-4, 225-pound transfer from Mississippi State and has two years of eligibility remaining. He played in 20 games for the Bulldogs over three seasons (2017-2019) and redshirted in ‘19. His first career start was in the 2017 Taxslayer Gator Bowl, leading MSU to a 31-27 over Lamar Jackson and Louisville. Thompson rushed for three touchdowns in that game.

Meanwhile, Stone is a 6-0, 230-pound senior who appeared in two games last season, but has appeared in only three games during his career.

Armstead is a true freshman from South Bend, Ind., and enrolled in January in hopes of learning UVA’s system during spring practice. Obviously the pandemic shutdown didn’t allow that to happen, so he has had to learn on the run in August training camp.

A 6-3, 200-pound dual-threat QB, Armstead passed for 1,078 yards his senior hear at Adams High School, including seven touchdowns. He also rushed for 610 yards and nine scores. As a junior, the threw for 2,202 and 12 TDs, while rushing for 1,104 yards and 17 additional scores.

While all the the returning Cavaliers know exactly what Armstrong can do, they’ve been impressed with Thompson in the early practices.

“Keytaon is really dynamic running and throwing,” said Dillon Reinkensmeyer, a senior offensive tackle. “He makes guys miss and he uses blocks really well. I mean he does just a really, really good job making plays.”

Joey Blount, a senior safety whose job is to contain Thompson just as UVA’s defense attempted to do against Perkins the past two years, is also impressed.

“Dynamic, explosive player,” Blount said. “He can really turn a no-gain play into something big.”

Where have UVA fans heard that before?

“I like the way he can use his feet and he has good vision of what’s going on, not even in front of him but cross-field looks,” Blount said. “I’m really impressed with what I’ve seen from him so far.”

UVA quarterbacks coach Jason Beck has also liked what he’s seen in practices, though wasn’t surprised after watching video of Thompson in Starkville.

“We watched the clips he had at Mississippi State as well as his high school film and just really like who he is as a player,” Beck said. “He’s competitive. Plays hard. He’s won a lot of games in high school and in the opportunities he’s had in college. He’s played well on those big stages.”

Another Cavalier offensive lineman, center Olu Oluwatimi, said that Armstrong has picked up where he left off last season.

“I’ve been working with Brennan since my first spring here,” Oluwatimi said. “He always was taking reps because we need, as Coach Mendenhall always says, we’re going to need two quarterbacks to win the ACC.”

Terrell Jana, Virginia’s leading returning receiver, said he’s been impressed with both those quarterbacks thus far.

“I’m excited to keep going with [Thompson and Armstrong], to keep competing,” Jana said. “They’re making each other better right now, which is great for the team.”