Bronco’s ranch is up for sale, signaling that he’s moving on

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Exactly two months ago, Bronco Mendenhall told us that he needed to pause and figure out the next chapter in his life. It appears that the former Virginia football coach has figured things out.

Apparently the Mendenhall’s are leaving the area.

Their “ranch” in Ivy has been put up for sale. The 28-acre property, which was often a place Bronco would bring recruits and players on his team to ride horses, has been listed for an asking price of $4.875 million.

It’s a five-bedroom, four-bathroom home with 6,800 square feet of living space.

The ranch was Bronco’s sort of “Fortress of Solitude,” where Superman would retreat to get away from the world and relieve the stress. Mendenhall would often mention how he would go home after football and ride horses or rope cattle.

Mendenhall said he needed to pause his life after shockingly stepping down following UVA’s season-ending loss to Virginia Tech. He said he needed to think about the next step, whether it would be returning to football or doing something else with his life, and be intentional about where “we re-enter and how and whatever that is.”

“I don’t know if it ever would be college football again, but this is the purpose,” Mendenhall said. “There was a sense of clarity to me that I need to step back from college football and reassess with my wife as a partner, our future and the next chapter of our lives.”