There were numerous hallmarks of Virginia football under coach Mike London, both positive and negative. Ranging from a stellar in-state recruiting presence to a penchant for losing close games and a startlingly high number of penalties for too many men on the field, London’s teams had a lot that stood out.
One trait that rises to the forefront of many Cavalier fans’ minds, however, is the never-ending carousel at quarterback. Virginia’s quarterback changed constantly, and quarterbacks transferred or were benched as quickly as fans could learn their names.
In six years as head coach, London named six quarterbacks the starter (for non-injury replacement purposes) in Marc Verica, Michael Rocco, Phillip Sims, David Watford, Greyson Lambert and Matt Johns, averaging a new quarterback every season.
This inconsistency and instability at the quarterback position may well be part of what plagued Virginia’s anemic offense under London, as the Cavaliers averaged 83rd in the nation in points per game.
Weary Cavalier faithfuls were given hope, however, with the naming of Bronco Mendenhall as head coach. The story of quarterback stability for Mendenhall’s BYU teams was drastically different than that of coach London’s. Over his 11 years as head coach, Mendenhall only named five different starters, demonstrating remarkable consistency in picking his passers. Mendenhall’s quarterbacks’ average length at the helm was more than double that of coach London’s.
Correspondingly, Mendenhall’s offenses were significantly more prolific than London’s, as BYU averaged 35th in the nation in points scored, despite facing a significantly harder average schedule.
While it might be tempting to blame the difference in average quarterback tenure and production on talent alone, it’s worth noting London had highly touted quarterbacks in Sims and Lambert — Sims, a five-star recruit, went on to play in the NFL, and Lambert, a four-star recruit, was named the starter at SEC powerhouse Georgia after transferring. While Mendenhall had future NFL players and five-star recruits as well, his average quarterback recruiting rank was not demonstrably different than London’s.
It seems, then, that the difference in consistency at quarterback is largely a matter of coaching philosophy. Mendenhall seems to have fared much better with quarterback management, both in terms of getting some consistency in naming a team leader, and the results a quarterback achieved, without working with drastically different talent.
This difference in style does not appear to be lost on Mendenhall. In an interview with the Roanoke Times this summer he said, “In general, the quarterback position at [Virginia] has been probably the biggest mismanaged position in the program.” He went on to add, “This is just an objective assessment in terms of not only who has been chosen to play the position but in the succession planning for the position.”
Ironically, however, Mendenhall’s first off-season at the school has been marked by lots of quarterback controversy, with no official starter named as of writing. The competition has stretched all off-season long, beginning when senior Connor Brewer challenged incumbent Matt Johns late in the spring, after showcasing his accuracy and touch. This was followed by junior Kurt Benkert being added to the mix over the summer, as the East Carolina transfer provided a dual threat option with multiple years of eligibility.
On top of the competition at the top, there’s been loss of depth at the bottom. Mendenhall has lost two younger backup quarterbacks to transfers in Nick Johns and Corwin Cutler, adding to the turmoil at the position.
Virginia fans would be forgiven if they felt déjà vu with their new coach, despite his pristine quarterback track record. This is particularly frustrating, as the Cavaliers have left something to be desired at the quarterback position dating all the way back to the Matt Schaub era. As evidenced in the statistics above, this was supposed to be something Mendenhall was brought in to fix. While it remains possible he achieves consistency at the quarterback position, the start on his path to get there has certainly been rocky.
However, viewed through the right perspective, you can almost see the plan behind Mendenhall’s actions. Part of the process of getting long term starters at quarterback involves giving a chance to guys like Benkert with more eligibility remaining. To most fans, Benkert is just another complete unknown, the latest in a long string of new and inexperienced starters to begin the year.
However, he could in fact represent the opposite, the beginning of a new era in which quarterbacks last longer and are more memorable parts of the team. So while the off-season has been tumultuous, giving Benkert a shot could yield the stability for which Cavalier fans have long been searching.
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