Groh Talks Defense at ACC Media Day
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 07/27/2009
By Jeff White
jeffwhite@virginia.edu

GREENSBORO, N.C. – As the linebackers go, so will go UVa’s defense this season.

That may be overstating things, but not by much, assuming injuries don’t take too big a toll on the other positions.

When the Cavaliers’ new defensive coordinator – who doubles as the head coach – looks over his options, he sees athleticism and talent on the line, where Matt Conrath, Nick Jenkins and Nate Collins are back, and in the secondary, where the two-deep includes Chris Cook, Ras-I Dowling, Chase Minnifield, Rodney McLeod and Corey Mosley.

In Al Groh’s 3-4 defense, however, linebacker always has been the marquee position. There have been exceptions – see future NFL ends Chris Canty and Chris Long – but Virginia typically showcases its second line of defense, beginning in 2001 with Angelo Crowell and running through Kai Parham, Darryl Blackstock, Ahmad Brooks and Clint Sintim.

“They’re the playmakers,” Groh said of linebackers in the 3-4.

Unfortunately for a team coming off a 5-7 season, none of the aforementioned ‘backers is on the 2009 roster. The team’s top three tacklers last season were Jon Copper, Antonio Appleby and Sintim – all linebackers, and all gone.

The likely starters at linebacker this season include three fifth-year seniors – Denzel Burrell, Aaron Clark and Darren Childs – who among them have 14 career starts. Starting next to Childs, at the other inside spot, may be redshirt freshman Steve Greer. Other candidates for playing time at linebacker include redshirt freshman Billy Schautz and juniors Jared Detrick and Darnell Carter, none of whom has played much, if at all, from scrimmage.

“We’re hoping that with the inexperience at the linebacker positions, at least the tradeoff is that they’ll be playing behind three guys who have significant snaps,” Groh said this afternoon at the ACC Football Kickoff, referring to ends Collins and Conrath and nose tackle Jenkins.

Bob Trott is not inexperienced, and for that Groh is grateful. In 2006, ’07 and ’08, the Wahoos’ linebackers coach, at least officially, was Bob Diaco. In reality, though, Groh oversaw that position, as he’d done in the NFL for the Giants, the Browns and the Jets.

Diaco left after last season for the University of Cincinnati, and Trott’s hiring as linebackers coach has allowed Groh to step back and concentrate on other areas of the team.

Trott, 55, has been defensive coordinator at Arkansas, Clemson, Duke, Baylor and Louisiana-Monroe. He spent the past four seasons working with the Cleveland Browns’ linebackers in Romeo Crennel’s 3-4 scheme.

“Bobby’s been a great addition for us,” Groh said. “He’s very well steeped in all the intricacies of the system.”

Also new to the defense are line coach Chad Wilt and secondary coach Anthony Poindexter. Wilt, a former UVa graduate assistant, spent the past three seasons on Danny Rocco’s staff at Liberty University. Poindexter, of course, was an All-America safety for the ‘Hoos. He coached Virginia’s running backs from 2004 to ’08.

“The cohesiveness with the defensive staff in the spring was as strong as it’s been in quite some time,” Groh said.

The most talented member of the linebacking corps is 6-4, 255-pound Cameron Johnson, who played in six games as a true freshman in 2008 before an injury ended his season prematurely.

“He’s got the skills to become the next real producer at that position,” Groh said.

Johnson may win a starting job at outside linebacker before the season ends, but when training camp opens next month, look for Burrell and Clark to be running with the first team. Clark edged Burrell for a starting job last year, only to suffer a season-ending knee injury in the opener against Southern California. Burrell started the final 11 games at that spot.

This year, Groh said, he’ll begin with Clark and Burrell on opposite sides.

“One, they’ve earned that right, not just by being veteran players, but by the way they’ve gone about their work here all spring and all summer,” Groh said. “They’ve earned that opportunity, and plus they know the system better than anybody.

“They’ve really tried to step into whatever leadership void might have been left by some very strong leaders last year.”

Inside, Childs was pressed into service late last season after Appleby got hurt. Childs totaled 20 tackles in the three games in which he played extensively.

In Burrell, Clark and Childs, Groh said, UVa has “three guys who’ve certainly been in a lot of meetings, a lot of drills. They should have a foundation. There’s not a lot of snaps in there, which is the No. 1 criteria for being experienced, but they are three fifth-year seniors, so they’re not new kids off the block.”

As for the group as a whole, Groh said he’s “pleased with where we are. We gotta be better there than what we are today, but it was a productive spring for a lot of those guys.”

 

Notes from ACC Football Kickoff
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 07/27/2009
By Jeff White
jeffwhite@virginia.edu

LOW FIVE: Eighty-seven media members cast ballots for the ACC’s preseason football poll, which was released this afternoon in Greensboro. Virginia, coming off a 5-7 season, was picked fifth in the six-team Coastal Division for the second straight year.

A look at the preseason projections for the Cavaliers – and their actual performances – since Al Groh took over as coach:

2008

Pick: fifth in Coastal

Finish: fifth

2007

Pick: fourth in Coastal

Finish: second

2006

Pick: fourth in Coastal

Finish: third

2005:

Pick: third in Coastal

Finish: fifth

2004

Pick: third in 11-team ACC

Finish: tie for third

2003

Pick: fourth in nine-team ACC

Finish: tie for fourth

2002

Pick: eighth in nine-team ACC

Finish: tie for second

2001

Pick: fifth in nine-team ACC

Finish: tie for seventh

STILL IN THE MIX: When training camp opens next month, Groh said today, graduate student Vic Hall, a converted cornerback, will take the first snap at quarterback. Also at that position is fifth-year senior Jameel Sewell, who did not play last season for academic reasons but has started 22 games for UVa.

And then there’s junior Marc Verica, who started nine games last season. Indications were that Verica came out of spring practice as Virginia’s No. 3 QB, but he “very well might be the starter [this season],” Groh said. “And if he’s not thre starter, we’re probably going to need him to win some games.”

Verica completed 226 of 354 passes for 2,037 yards and eight touchdowns in 2008. He was intercepted 16 times, though, and his propensity for errors proved costly.

MAKING THE GRADE? Most years, Groh said, several of his players have needed to do well in summer school to stay academically eligible, and that’s the case again this year.

Asked if Sewell is in good shape academically, Groh said, “I hope that he is, but there certainly can’t be any missteps. [A strong showing] would be expected with somebody who’s coming out of the circumstances he’s coming out of.”

Sewell was re-admitted to U.Va. in January after serving a year’s suspension.

NEXT QUESTION, PLEASE: In his session with print reporters today, Groh was asked about his job security.

“It’s not about me, it’s about the team,” he said. “I don’t address it with me, so why would I address it with [UVa’s players]?”

Groh, 65, is heading into his ninth season as coach at his alma mater. He’s 56-44 overall and 34-30 in ACC play with the Wahoos. In bowl games, UVa is 3-2 under Groh.

BYE BYE, BOISE: The ACC no longer is affiliated with the Humanitarian Bowl, which is played on the blue turf of Boise State’s stadium. The ACC’s latest tie-in is with the GMAC Bowl, Jan. 6 in Mobile, Ala.

A season ago, the ACC sent 10 teams to bowl games, an NCAA record. (N.C. State was invited to the Papajohns.com Bowl, which needed another team.)

The conference has tie-ins with nine bowls this season: the Orange, the Chick-fil-A, the Gator, the Champs Sports, the Music City, the Meineke Car Care, the Emerald, the EagleBank and the GMAC.

PRIME TIME: For the second straight year, the ACC will hold its championship game in Tampa, Fla. Instead of the early-afternoon start that might have hurt attendance in 2008, this year’s title game will have an 8 p.m. kickoff.

Michael Kelly, the ACC’s associate commissioner for football operations and communications, said there were about 25,000 residents from the Tampa area at least year’s championship game. The conference’s goal this year is 40,000 local fans.

FASHION STATEMENTS: Among the new rules in college football this year is one that will allow both teams to wear their dark jerseys in a game, if there is sufficient contrast between them.

Clemson and UVa, for example, would not both be able to wear their orange jerseys when they met. The Tigers could wear orange, though, if the ‘Hoos were in blue.

 

Cavaliers Picked to Finish Fifth in ACC Coastal
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 07/27/2009

Vic Hall was one of seven players to receive votes as the ACC’s preseason Player of the Year.

Greensboro, NC – The Virginia football team was picked to place fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coastal Division today by media attending the annual league kickoff event. Defending ACC Champion Virginia Tech was picked to win both the Coastal Division and the ACC title.

Virginia senior quarterback Vic Hall was one of seven players to receive votes as the ACC’s preseason Player of the Year. Georgia Tech running back Jonathan Dwyer led the balloting in that category with 39 votes while Clemson running back C.J. Spiller was second with 28 votes. NC State quarterback Russell Wilson was third with 16 votes. Florida State’s Christian Ponder, Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor and Wake Forest’s Riley Skinner joined Vic by each receiving one vote for preseason player of the year honors.

Florida State topped the voting for the Atlantic Division title and was tied with Georgia Tech for second in the predicted order of the ACC Championship game winner.

Virginia opens its 2009 season Sept. 5 at home against William & Mary at 6 p.m. UVa’s annual Meet the Team Day will take place Aug. 16 (Sunday) at 3 p.m. at Scott Stadium.

2009 ACC Football Preseason Media Voting (87 Total Votes)

Coastal Division

1. Virginia Tech (78) 512

2. Georgia Tech (9) 415

3. North Carolina 350

4. Miami 282

5. Virginia 148

6. Duke 120

Atlantic Division

1. Florida State (56) 479

2. Clemson (14) 387

3. NC State (10) 364

4. Wake Forest (7) 295

5. Maryland 157

6. Boston College 145

Predicted ACC Championship Game Winner

1. Virginia Tech 69

2. Florida State 7

2. Georgia Tech 7

4. Clemson 2

4. NC State 2

2009 Preseason ACC Player of the Year

1. Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech 39

2. C.J. Spiller, Clemson 28

3. Russell Wilson, NC State 16

4. Christian Ponder, Florida State 1

4. Vic Hall, Virginia 1

4. Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech 1

4. Riley Skinner, Wake Forest 1

 

Answer on Groh’s fate linked to other questions about Cavaliers
By Darryl Slater
Published: July 28, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. From his office at the McCue Center, Al Groh will confront dozens of questions about his Virginia football team in the coming weeks.

Can Vic Hall become a capable starting quarterback despite not playing the position regularly since he was a high school senior in 2004? Will the Cavaliers find the consistency they have long enjoyed at linebacker despite losing three of four starters?

Might the spread formations used by new offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon spark Virginia, which ranked 105th of 119 teams nationally in yards per game last season?

But the one question Groh will not confront -- at least not publicly and certainly not with his players -- is the most significant for the future of Virginia's program: Will Groh keep his job past this season?

"It's not about me," Groh said yesterday at ACC media days. "It's about the team. I don't address it with me, so why would I address it with them?"

Asked if he considers his job security at all, Groh shook his head. Yet it seems difficult for even the most optimistic of Virginia fans to ignore this issue, which, of course, will resolve itself based on how well the Cavaliers answer the questions Groh is willing to consider.

Groh, who turned 65 earlier this month, is entering his ninth season in Charlottesville. He will earn about $2 million from a contract that is set to expire after the 2011 season. After each of the past three seasons, Virginia had the option of adding a year to the end of Groh's deal. The school did it only in 2007.

The Cavaliers went 9-4 that year and played in the Gator Bowl. Groh was named ACC coach of the year. But in 2006 and 2008, they finished 5-7 and missed a bowl. Considering Groh's less-than-sterling ACC record to date, 34-30, how many games will the Cavaliers have to win this season for him to stick around?

That remains uncertain. Clearer, though, are the particulars of Groh's contract. If Virginia fired him, it would essentially owe him the balance of his deal, about $4 million, as a buyout. If Virginia wants to keep him around after 2011, it would need to rework his contract, because the provision for a year to be tacked onto the contract existed only for the past three seasons.

After last season, Groh wanted the additional year and argued with school officials that he needed it for recruiting. Players want to know that the coach who signs them won't soon be gone. But Groh was unwilling to renegotiate the contract and reduce the buyout.

Groh, often reluctant to make big-picture assessments of his tenure, was unsurprisingly hesitant yesterday when asked to do just that, in light of Virginia's recent bowl absences. He listened to the question, then sat in silence for 13 seconds, his lips pursed.

"[We] try to do the best we could every year," he finally said. "We're not perfect. Learn something along the way. We see every season as its own season. And we'll leave the assessment to everybody else."

Despite his evasiveness, Groh understands the nature of the college football coaching business, understands that, as he often says, there are no medals for trying. Yet he is unlikely to single out one season as more important than others, even if at least one of his players recognizes how much this season could impact Groh's future, and all the questions surrounding it.

"We're very aware of that," Hall said. "We work hard to win games, not only for ourselves but for coach. Because he puts in hours. And a lot of people don't understand how many hours he puts in on his job. He's at the McCue Center day in, day out. Monday through Sunday during the season, his car is never gone. For us to go out and help him, it's something we work hard for. It does create a sense of urgency. We understand that."
 

Groh backs Hall at QB
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- It is still possible to view a Virginia football roster that lists Vic Hall as a quarterback and a cornerback.

Usually, ninth-year head coach Al Groh likes to keep the media guessing, but not in this case.

"All we're going to give him on the sixth [of August] is the offensive playbook," Groh said Monday at the ACC's Football Kickoff.

Hall, who is entering his fifth year at UVa, has played quarterback for just one game in his college career. That came in the final game of the 2008 season, when he rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns in a 17-14 loss at Virginia Tech.

UVa has two other quarterbacks, senior Jameel Sewell and junior Marc Verica, who have started a combined 32 games. But Hall, who set multiple state records at Gretna High School, goes into the fall as No. 1.

"Since that's a unilateral decision and not one by committee, I think it's safe to say that he'll take the first snap," said Groh, who otherwise has turned over the offense to first-year coordinator Gregg Brandon.

"When we decided to do this, we said, 'This deserves a long-term commitment.' You can't just go out there and watch him throw the ball for five days and make a determination after the spring."

Sewell started 23 consecutive games during the 2006 and 2007 seasons but was declared academically ineligible following the 2007 Gator Bowl. He was readmitted to school for the spring semester and currently is enrolled in summer school.

"I really don't have any expectation there," said Groh, when asked about Sewell. "We're just going to go to practice and see what develops."

Groh gets regular feedback on the players who are in summer school. Over the years, there have been few blockbuster developments on that front.

"It's usually worked out well," Groh said. "Almost all of the players in summer classes are there to lighten their course load. But, coming down the home stretch, there was always something tied to [summer school]."

Groh hopes that Sewell is in good shape academically, "but there certainly can't be any missteps, which might be expected for somebody coming out of the circumstances that he's coming out of."

Groh was more encouraging about the prospects for Verica, who is the top-ranking Virginia quarterback with eligibility for 2010. UVa won four straight games with Verica in 2008 and he isn't out of the picture for 2009.

"Hey, look, he very well might be the starter," Groh said. "And, if he's not the starter, we're probably going to need him to win some games.

"Marc and I have talked about the fact that Chad Pennington won a lot of games at Marshall. He got redshirted when a transfer from Florida came in, then he came back and won two national championships."

Virginia hasn't gotten a transfer and Verica already has been redshirted, but no one is casting him to the side.

Personnel

Groh said that Matt Kelly, a four-year starter on the UVa men's lacrosse team, has gone through summer conditioning with the football team and has a chance to play on special teams for the Cavaliers.

Kelly, who is listed on UVa's roster as a safety, made second-team all-state as a running back for New Trier High School in Kenilworth Ill., where he rushed for 1,850 yards and scored 29 touchdowns as a senior.

n Aaron Clark from Rockbridge County is listed as the likely starter at the outside linebacker spot opposite fellow fifth-year senior Denzel Burrell. Clark emerged from a battle with Burrell to claim a starting spot for the Cavaliers' 2008 opener against Southern California, only to suffer a torn anterior cruciate ligament that caused him to miss the last 11 games of the season.

n Defensive end Kevin Crawford joins Rod Wheeler as the two scholarship players listed on UVa's spring roster who are not on the roster this fall.
 

Ball is in Hall's hands as battle for U.Va. QB begins
By Kyle Tucker
The Virginian-Pilot
© July 28, 2009
GREENSBORO, N.C.

Children have been warned for ages: Make a wish, but if you tell anyone what it is, it'll never come true.

Vic Hall grew up with another admonishment from his grandmother. "Always stand behind your leader," Frances Hall taught him. "Never question it."

Vic Hall, heeding both bits of wisdom, harbored a secret dream for almost three full football seasons at the University of Virginia.

"To be honest, I've dreamed about playing quarterback a lot, but it was just something I kept to myself," Hall said. "I don't have a big ego. I do anything for the team. I don't want to cause problems or distractions. So even though it's something you want, it's not for the team. It's for me."

For three seasons, then, the most prolific offensive player in Virginia high school history would play defensive back for the Cavaliers. And satisfy his lust to hold the football by returning punts.

He thrived in both roles, racking up 130 career tackles, three interceptions, 332 yards in punt returns. But the guy who threw for 8,731 yards, ran for 5,039 and accounted for 170 touchdowns at Gretna High School would go 36 games into his college career without throwing a pass.

Virginia had suffered key losses at cornerback early in Hall's career, so there was a need there. Not to mention Hall's lack of prototypical quarterback size at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds.

He understood all this, so he never mentioned his old position again. Head coach Al Groh never knew how badly he burned to play quarterback.

"I never asked him about it," Hall said. "Coach Groh is our leader, and whatever he wants done, we'll get it done."

But when the offense desperately needed a spark heading into last season's final game - at rival Virginia Tech, no less - Groh wanted to see if Hall still had some offense left in him.

It was a surprising move, suddenly sticking a junior cornerback under center. It was simultaneously Hall's dream come true and the Hokies' nightmare. Just like the old days, he carved up Tech's defense for 109 rushing yards, including touchdown runs of 16 and 40 yards.

He ignited U.Va., leading it to within a field goal of upsetting the eventual ACC champs.

"It just felt good, and not just personally," Hall said. "I felt like, 'This is where I can help my team the most.' It had to be the most fun I've had."

As it turns out, the fun has just begun. Now, what looked like a gimmick, maybe even a desperation move by a coach seeking to avoid a second losing season in three years, has become a permanent switch.

Hall represented Virginia this week at the ACC Football Kickoff as the Cavaliers' starting quarterback for 2009. Or at least the guy who'll take the first rep at the position when the team begins camp on Aug. 6.

He still has to hold off Marc Verica, last year's starter, and Jameel Sewell, the 2007 starter who was off the team last fall. But Hall is clearly Groh's favorite at this point.

"All we're going to give him on the 6th is an offensive playbook," said Groh, who noted that new offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon also likes Hall for the spread offense he's installing. "He's very positive about him. But the one advantage some of us have over what Gregg has seen is he's never been to a game with (Hall). He's one of those players that's tremendously mentally strong and competitively strong, and that's a big part of playing any position well, particularly one where everybody... is taking their lead off you."

The one remaining hitch - pun perhaps appropriate - is Hall's passing. While not nearly a problem in high school, he went nearly four full years without throwing with any regularity.

He threw just one time in his coming out party at Tech. That was his only collegiate pass, and Hall said he didn't keep his arm fresh at all during his days as a corner.

"That's the issue to be answered," Groh said. "Until it's actually happened, it's not been done. But clearly, if he went out there in the spring and throws were such that we said, 'This just isn't going to work,' that would be pretty apparent. Obviously that wasn't the case.

"So every day that he's doing it, his rhythm gets a little bit smoother."

It has been a bit of a bumpy road from offense to defense and back again. Hall never spoke a word of the discomfort. And now his wish has been granted.

"I never thought I'd be playing quarterback my last year," Hall said. "But what happened in high school, this is a whole different level. I've got a whole lot to prove to myself."

But in the meantime, he said, "I'm going to have a ball."
 

Groh's concern: Avoid getting sacked
David Teel
July 28, 2009
GREENSBORO, N.C.

Seven ACC football programs have changed head coaches within the last five years. Do I hear eight? Nine? How 'bout 10, 11 or the entire dozen?

Any Sotheby's auctioneer worth his staccato would relish this firesale, where the lone implausible scenario seems short-term stability.

Think about it. Virginia, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Wake Forest and Florida State employ the conference's longest-tenured big whistles.

But for how long?

Florida State and Maryland already have designated the successors to Bobby Bowden and Ralph Friedgen, respectively; Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer turns 63 this season, Wake Forest's Jim Grobe attracts suitors annually, and Virginia's Al Groh has the posse nipping at his Nikes.

Oh, and does anyone believe that third-year Miami coach Randy Shannon, 12-13 to date, is secure? Or that teams from the NFL and college will cease tempting North Carolina's Butch Davis?

No matter the resolutions, just don't blame coaching turnover on the ACC's failure to produce a top-five team since 2000.

At first blush, that appears counterintuitive. Stable leadership strikes most as a cornerstone of championships.

Just consider Beamer. Entering his 23rd year at his alma mater, he's poised to guide Virginia Tech to a 17th consecutive bowl season.

"He's just been there so long and recruited so well," Bowden said Monday at the ACC's preseason news conferences. "They're just a force every year."

Indeed, Beamer's run at Tech, not to mention Bowden's 34-years-and-counting at Florida State, are beyond remarkable. But Bowden's 2000 bunch is the ACC's last top-five team.

Meanwhile, eight of the last nine Associated Press national championships have been won by coaches with fewer than five years' tenure: Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, Miami's Larry Coker, Ohio State's Jim Tressel, Southern California's Pete Carroll (two), Florida's Urban Meyer (two) and Louisiana State's Les Miles.

The exception was Texas' Mack Brown — thank you, Vince Young! — in 2005.

Groh clearly is the most likely ACC coach to be sacked. He's preparing for his ninth season and a losing record in 2009 would be Virginia's third in the last four years.

Attending media Monday picked the Cavaliers fifth among six Coastal Division teams, in which case bank on an exit.

"It's not about me," Groh said politely but firmly about his status. "It's about the team."

Does he mention the obvious to his players?

"I don't address it with me," he said, "so why would I address it with them."

The sure sign of a coach in trouble is staff upheaval. Five of Groh's nine assistant coaches departed during the offseason, at least two involuntarily.

After Groh, Miami's Shannon looks like the conference's most endangered. He replaced his offensive and defensive coordinators after the Hurricanes lost their final three games last season.

"We're doing the right things off the field and we're recruiting the right players," Shannon said. "We're just a little young right now."

All that may be true. But so is this: Miami has lost 19 games the past three years, two more than in the previous eight seasons.

The Canes' downturn began in 2006, Coker's final year. But firing Coker, who was 60-15 with two national-title game appearances, looms more preposterous today than when the ax fell.

Adding to the angst in Miami, an opening four-game stretch against Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma. Does Shannon have the chops to rally his squad from a 1-3 or 0-4 start?

We may soon see.

We already know that Florida State offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher is contracted to replace Bowden, with Maryland offensive coordinator tabbed to follow Friedgen. The unknown is the timing.

Friedgen, 62 and entering his ninth season, has long battled obesity. He's shed 95 pounds from a high of 401 but still deals with blood pressure and cholesterol issues.

The Terps were 8-5 in 2008, but Friedgen contends they underachieved. He'd like to bookend his rookie-season ACC title of 2001, but it had better happen fast.

Same goes for Bowden, the (over?) worshiped Saint Bobby. He turns 80 in November, remains a charmer and trails Penn State's Joe Paterno by one (383-382) in the chase for the NCAA career victory record.

But unless the NCAA grants an appeal, Bowden and FSU will have to forfeit 14 wins due to academic impropriety.

"I hate to have (them) taken away," Bowden said. "But I won't cut my wrist over it."

 

UVa picked to finish 5th in division
By Jay Jenkins
Published: July 28, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Virginia will start the 2009 season on paper where it finished the previous season in the standings.
On the heels of a five-win season that included a dismal 3-5 mark in the ACC, the Cavaliers were picked by members of the media to finish fifth in the league’s Coastal Division.
Virginia Tech, the league’s defending champ, was listed as the top team on 78 of the 87 ballots, easily becoming the favorite to win the Coastal. The Hokies were followed by Georgia Tech (415 points), North Carolina (350), Miami (282), UVa (148) and Duke.
In the Atlantic Division, Florida State was the clear favorite, earning 56 first-place votes and 479 points. The Seminoles were followed by Clemson (387), North Carolina State (364), Wake Forest (295), Maryland (157) and Boston College (145).
Virginia Tech was also picked as the favorite to win the championship game, which will be played in Tampa Bay.
For now, Virginia coach Al Groh has far more pressing issues to ponder, namely finding a starting quarterback, shoring up the kicking game and ironing out the depth chart defensively.
The three areas, Groh said, “are certainly not the only criteria for having a good team, but they are really three building blocks.”
At least one detail about the three-person battle to become the starting quarterback was announced at the annual league kickoff. Groh said fifth-year senior Vic Hall, a converted cornerback, would take the first practice snap on Aug. 7.
At least entering training camp, Hall has the early edge, albeit a small one, over senior Jameel Sewell and junior Marc Verica.
Hall, who has started 24 games at cornerback, was a surprise starter at quarterback in Virginia’s finale last year at Virginia Tech and worked exclusively with the offense during spring drills.
Questions linger, however, whether Hall can be accurate as a passer, having thrown just one incompletion against the Hokies.
“For us, for everybody, that’s the issue to be answered,” Groh said. “Until it has actually happened it’s not been done, but clearly if we went out there in the spring and the throws were such, we would have said, ‘this just isn’t going to work.’
“That would be pretty apparent and that wasn’t the case.”
While Hall could play cornerback in a pinch, Groh seemed to rule that option out.
“All we are going to give him [Aug. 6] is an offensive playbook,” he said.
Sewell, who has passed for 3,518 yards and 17 touchdowns, returns after being sidelined for the 2008 season following an academic suspension.
For now, Groh said he does not have “any expectation” in place for the left-handed senior.
“We are just going to go to practice and see what develops,” Groh disclosed.
The coach said he remains hopeful that Sewell will be in good standing with the school following his final summer school class.
“I hope that he is, but there certainly can’t be any missed steps,” he said. “It would be to be expected with somebody who is coming out of the circumstance that he is coming out of.”
Groh said Sewell’s focus and attention to detail has improved since his return, but would welcome the thought of further advancements.
“I would like to see it stronger,” he said, “but it progressed.”
Verica, who would appear to be the odd man out, was praised by Groh for his work on the fly last year after being thrust onto the field following quarterback Pete Lalich’s dismissal from school.
For the season, Verica passed for 2,037 yards and eight touchdowns, but tossed 16 interceptions.
“He made some throws there too that without which we couldn’t have won the game,” Groh said. “He did it under less preparation than probably almost all the
quarterbacks in the country had at that particular time. It shows what his positive side and high end is.”
As will be the case at quarterback, expect an audition of sorts in training camp to win the starting job kicking field goals. Chris Hinkebein and Robert Randolph, both sophomores, will be joined by recruited walk-on Drew Jarrett.
“Anybody at that placekicking position, whether it is the incumbents or somebody new, we are very interested in seeing what they can do,” Groh said.
Defensively, Virginia returns six starters, including a pair on the defensive line (DE Matt Conrath and NT Nick Jenkins).
Depth issues are present on the defensive line and at linebacker, a position that returns three fifth-year seniors that have logged a minimal amount of snaps, but have learned the Cavaliers’ 3-4 defense.
“The positions going in where there is the most open competition or the most competition would be at the linebacker spots,” Groh said, “and then just as importantly some of the spots on our nickel and dime, which is a significant part of any team’s defensive success.”
Entering camp, Denzel Burrell and Aaron Clark lead the depth chart at outside linebacker and Darren Childs is slated to start alongside redshirt freshman Steve Greer.
Entering training camp, Groh said the top goal for the defense was to “develop the type of cohesion that the units the last three years have had.”
That process started in the spring with new linebackers coach Bob Trott, converted secondary coach Anthony Poindexter and defensive line coach Chad Wilt.
“We made good progress with that in the spring,” Groh said, “and I would say that would be our No. 1 objective.”
Counting the spots
The NCAA will allow Virginia to open training camp with 105 players, a figure that includes invited walk-ons.
Without Jarrett listed, there were a total of 108 names on the team’s roster in the media guide. That will force some decisions as camp approaches, but health issues may be the ultimate factor.
“We have a couple of medical situations,” Groh said, divulging one without offering the player’s name. “This walk-on player had lyme disease this summer.
“We have a couple of spots there that we are going to see how they work out. We have a couple of medical situations and if the player is not cleared to practice we will have to make a decision there.”
One player that will not be in uniform, according to Groh, is highly-touted offensive lineman Morgan Moses.
“He will be going to Fork Union this year, which was much the expectation from the start,” Groh said. “It will be a very positive thing. He is very positive about it. The family is very positive about it.”
Virginia will be forced “technically” to re-recruit the state’s top offensive lineman.
“He says he is pretty recruited,” Groh said with a smile.
Extra points …
Perhaps the biggest grin of the day was displayed by Groh when he was asked about outside linebacker Cam Johnson, who played in six games last year as a true freshman. “He’s got the skills to become the next real producer at that position,” he said. … Hall received one vote as the ACC preseason player of the year. … Defensive end Will Hill, who enrolled for the second semester last year after graduating high school early, is listed as a backup on the depth chart and will play this season. … Groh’s summer plans included a trip to Florida. He said he attended former Cavalier standout Alvin Pearman’s wedding in Jacksonville, Fla., on July 5.