Can Virginia football repeat as ACC Coastal champ without Bryce Perkins?

Defense looks to rebound after disappointing 2019

Bronco Mendenhall has been know for his teams being physical on both sides of the ball at both BYU and Virginia, but the Cavaliers defense took a bit of a step down last season although some of that can be attributed to injuries in the secondary.

Mandy Alonso will be the leader on the defense line and he will be joined by last year’s starting nose tackle Jowon Briggs who made an impact as a freshman last season.

The unit that’s glowing with potential is the linebacking corps. Three of the projected starters at linebacker are seniors and they are hoping that they can be the unit that can make this defense a formidable unit.

Zane Zandier was the leading tackler and tied for second in sacks last season and he will be back to create even more havoc after totaling 108 tackles and five sacks. Charles Snowden is a versatile and athletic player at 6-foot-7, 235 pounds, and he is hoping to build up his production last season where he had 72 tackles and five sacks. Noah Taylor was the leading sack man for the Cavs last year with seven and he is the younger of the four linebackers and he is a junior. This unit has a lot of experience and potential to be even better this season which should be a scary thought for opponents.

The secondary was a beaten up unit a year ago, but they are hoping to be healthy this season and get back to the level that they were playing at previously. Bryce Hall will be hard to replace, but the other three starters are returning and they are all seniors.

Joey Blount was the second leading tackler on the team a year ago and also led the team in interceptions with three. He will be playing alongside fellow senior Brenton Nelson and forming a formidable duo at safety. The lone returning starter at cornerback is Heskin Smith and he will be looking to build on last season.

The defense has a lot of potential if it can stay healthy.