Coach Mike London’s decision to reinstall junior Michael Rocco as starting quarterback made headlines. His other roster choices may make or break his third season as head football coach.
London delivered the highly anticipated announcement that Rocco would start the season opener against Richmond instead of sophomore transfer Phillip Sims when he released the team’s first depth chart Monday. He also revealed the winners of several other positional battles. For example, he named junior Drew Jarrett the place kicker rather than redshirt freshman Ian Frye, anointed senior Paul Freedman the starting tight end ahead of senior Colter Phillips, placed sophomore Drequan Hoskey opposite sophomore Demetrious Nicholson at cornerback rather than freshman Maurice Canady and gave sophomore Henry Coley the starting strongside linebacker spot instead of handing it to sophomore Daquan Romero.
The decision to put the enticing wildcard Sims — the No. 1 quarterback prospect coming out of high school in 2010 according to ESPNU — in a supporting role reflects London’s belief that the roster features enough depth, experience and hunger to thrive without spectacular displays from the quarterback position. What London needs from his signal caller is consistency and know-how, two traits Rocco embodies.
“To start a game, he’s the guy we feel most comfortable with right now because of what he knows — knowing the systems, the schemes and knowing the players that he’ll be throwing the ball to or handing the ball off to,” London said.
Rocco will have plenty of support on offense from a number of returning starters whose experience should give the unit chemistry from the first snap. Offensive tackles senior Oday Aboushi and junior Morgan Moses — who London recently said were in the discussion as the best pair of tackles in the nation — will provide time to throw. Senior running back Perry Jones will likely be the focal point of the offense once again, forcing opposing defenses to respect Virginia’s ground game. Meanwhile, speedy sophomore wide receivers Darius Jennings and Dominique Terrell give Virginia two viable deep threats to stretch the defense.
“We’ve just got playmakers,” Rocco said. “We’re confident in our playmakers to make plays for us … Really, my job is to study the game plan and get them the ball.”
The most significant change on offense from last season will be in philosophy, not personnel. Virginia unveiled a more aggressive downfield passing playbook in this year’s Spring Game in the hopes of taking advantage of the athleticism and pass-catching ability of several tight ends.
“I think the tight end position is one that has more versatility in it than in the past,” London said. “We’re excited about using them as part of an arsenal to stretch the field, point‑of‑attack blocking, do some things we haven’t been able to do before.”
Although Freedman is listed as the top tight end on the depth chart, Phillips, junior Jeremiah Mathis and sophomore Jake McGee all figure to see some role in the passing game. Freedman led Cavalier tight ends with 11 catches and 112 yards whereas Phillips caught just three passes for 15 yards. Only Mathis found the end zone, however, as Virginia failed to produce any of the “explosive” plays on which London hopes to capitalize this year.
Despite the added focus on creating big plays, the ground game will still be the Virginia offense’s bread and butter. Jones leads a tailback position that features four returning players from a solid 2011 season, including sophomores Kevin Parks, Clifton Richardson and Khalek Shepherd. Virginia rotated running backs frequently last season, giving Jones, Parks and Richardson more than 70 carries apiece.
“Running back is a deep position where you have a lot of guys that can get it done,” London said. “We try to be more specific about what menu of plays they have to be more successful at. You would see a lot of that shuffling in and out, sometimes two tailbacks, sometimes one, a variation of things based on their ability.”
While the Cavaliers offense will rely on continuity, the defense looks to a new core of players to contribute. Perhaps no departure looms larger than that of cornerback Chase Minnifield, who finished with three interceptions and a team-high eight passes defended last season.
Virginia will now turn to the athletic Hoskey — who ran hurdles on the track team last year — to join the standout Nicholson at cornerback.
“[Hoskey]’s got the vertical speed,” London said. “He’s got the quickness. He’s playing behind some pretty good corners that we had last year.”
Like Hoskey, the starting strongside linebacker Coley spent much of last season as the understudy to an entrenched veteran starter awaiting an opportunity to earn playing time. His first real chance came in the most important game of the season.
An injury to then-senior Aaron Taliaferro made way for Hoskey to make his first career start in the Chick-fil-A bowl against Auburn. The early audition made Hoskey a training camp favorite to earn the final linebacker spot beside senior stars Steve Greer and LaRoy Reynolds.
Like much of the Virginia defense, Hoskey is young but has experience with the program. His transition to the starting role will test London’s philosophy of rewarding veteran players who remained committed to the University without assurances of immediate playing time.
“We talk about a maturity level,” London said. “ … You develop that over the course of time with lifting, understanding the academic obligations. You grow up a little bit.”
Read More
Malik Washington selected 184th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins
By Xander Tilock | 12 hours agoWashington may have fallen down the draft board, but he will surely make a significant impact at the professional level.
At Virginia wushu, everybody is ‘Kung Fu Fighting’
By Xander Tilock | 13 hours agoA national powerhouse, Virginia wushu is both a top tier athletic club and a welcoming community.
Five Takeaways from Virginia’s Spring Game
By Peter Kriebel | YesterdayVirginia football is shaping up to make significant progress in 2024, led by an array of newcomers and promising underclassmen.
