Virginia defensive coordinator John Rudzinski is still very much trying to figure out what he has to work with, which isn’t a good place to be with the opening kickoff of the 2022 season three weeks away.
“I think it’s really fluid. I do. What we’re trying to do is get through the initial install, very front loaded with that install. And then what we’ll do is we’ll get a chance when we scrimmage here this Saturday to get a real picture of who wants to tackle and who can execute at a really high level,” Rudzinski told reporters after practice on Wednesday.
Virginia ranked 121st nationally in total defense a year ago, surrendering 466.0 yards per game, and 123rd in rushing defense, giving up a ghastly 225.8 yards per game on the ground.
Just so you know, there are 130 teams in FBS, so 121st and 123rd means you’re among the 10 worst.
But that was under former coach Bronco Mendenhall, who, oddly, in his sixth season, had what you’d assume was everything in place from a recruiting and development standpoint.
Mendenhall and his co-DCs, Nick Howell and Kelly Poppinga, run a 3-3-5 scheme similar to the 3-4 stack used by Rudzinski, so at least Rudzinski won’t have to fit square pegs into round holes from a personnel standpoint with his install.
That’s the only good news.
Each of the three position groups is a work in progress. Rudzinski does have middle linebacker Nick Jackson (796 snaps, 117 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 6 QB hurries, 2.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 62.5 PFF grade) and cornerback Anthony Johnson (777 snaps, 44 tackles, 3 INTs, 6 PBUs, 68.6 PFF grade) to build around, but other than that, it’s a lot of filling in the blanks.
D line
Kam Butler (53 tackles, 8 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 79.3 PFF grade) was a first-team All-MAC performer in 2021 at Miami (Ohio) who logged 1,894 snaps over four seasons at Miami, including 702 in 2021.
Butler is “a great worker, you know, a young man that has played a ton of football,” Rudzinski said. “He had over 700 snaps last season at a high level. And so, you know, it’s exciting to have him, and he definitely brings some depth to the D line.”
Two other transfers add depth to the line: Columbia grad transfer Paul Akere (5 sacks, 75.7 PFF grade) who played 530 snaps in 2021, and Jack Camper (29 tackles, 1 sack, 532 career snaps at Michigan State) missed the Spartans’ final 10 games last season with an injury.
Another guy who could count as a transfer portal addition is Aaron Faumui, a 6’1”, 300-pound interior lineman, who had put his name into the transfer portal on Dec. 13, but announced on Jan. 31 that he intends to stay on at Virginia. Faumui logged 460 defensive snaps in 2021, with a Pro Football Focus grade of 53.2.
Faumui is joined on the interior by 6’2”, 315-pound sophomore Jahmeer Carter (496 snaps, 23 tackles, 2 TFLs, 49.4 PFF grade in 2021) atop the depth chart on the inside.
Depth at tackle will come from 6’4”, 270-pound sophomore Ben Smiley III (219 snaps, 30.4 PFF grade) and 6’6”, 280-pound redshirt freshman Olasunkonmi Agunloye (204 snaps, 54.0 PFF grade).
Class of 2021 four-star recruit Bryce Carter, a 6’3”, 280-pounder, only got four snaps this past season, but just based on what the recruiting services thought of him, you’d think he’d be in the mix to earn some two-deep time in the spring.
Another Class of 2021 recruit, Michael Diatta, a 6’5”, 255-pounder, got 35 snaps (with a 59.3 PFF grade) as an interior lineman in his true freshman year in 2021.
Linebacker
Jackson returns as the anchor, but the unit lost edge ‘backer Noah Taylor (69 tackles, 8 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 4 PBUs, 67.7 PFF grade in 2021) and inside ‘backer West Weeks (31 tackles, 1 TFL, 5 PBUs, 60.4 PFF grade) to the transfer portal.
Both would have been expected to start and contribute big in 2022.
There’s plenty of depth in the position room, just not a lot of experience. Jackson was on the field for 796 snaps last year. Hunter Stewart (37 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, 60.7 PFF grade) played 338, Josh Ahern (25 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 44.6 PFF grade) played 241.
The rest of the returning guys, combined, logged 128 total.
There’s talent among the young guys in the unit. Sophomores Jonathan Horton and Josh McCarron were both four-star prep recruits, and classmate Mike Green brings interesting athleticism – he was signed as wide receiver before switching to linebacker.
And don’t forget Georgia Tech transfer Chico Bennett Jr., who missed last season with a torn ACL after logging 412 snaps over two seasons in Atlanta before making the move to Virginia, and junior D’Sean Perry (90 career snaps, 55.3 PFF grade in 2021).
Secondary
The unit loses its top two guys from the past couple of years with safeties Joey Blount (664 snaps, 87 tackles, 5 TFL, 3 INTs, 3 PBUs, 3 QBHs, 77.7 PFF grade) and Nick Grant (544 snaps, 50 tackles, 9 PBUs, 3 TFLs, 67.1 PFF grade) having finished up their eligibility.
The building blocks for the secondary will be Johnson and Darrius Bratton (473 snaps, 30 tackles, 6 PBUs, 65.6 PFF grade).
Rudzinski is high on Johnson.
“AJ does just a great job as a worker and as a leader,” Rudzinski said. “You know, he’s a young man that last night was here at 10:30 at night watching film after practice, and that really wants to hone on his craft.”
Seniors Coen King (506 snaps, 41 tackles, 3 PBUs, 60.7 PFF grade in 2021) and Antonio Clary (361 snaps, 42 tackles, 62.1 PFF grade) and sophomore Langston Long (55 snaps, 57.4 PFF grade) all got first-team reps at the three safety positions in the spring.
The depth at safety comes from juniors Chayce Chalmers (16 snaps in 2020) and Jake Dewease (also 16 snaps in 2020) and sophomores Jonas Sanker (58 snaps, 60.3 PFF grade in 2021) and Donovan Johnson (5 snaps in 2021).
The depth at corner includes junior Fentrell Cypress II (297 snaps, 16 tackles, 1 INT, 53.6 PFF grade) and sophomores Elijah Gaines (42 snaps, 48.8 PFF grade) and Dave Herard (16 snaps, 65.5 PFF grade).
The rest of the secondary room heading into the spring: sophomore safety Aidan Ryan and sophomore cornerbacks Micah Gaffney and William Simpkins III.
So many question marks, so little time
It’s likely that the fluidity that Rudzinski referenced will continue into the season.
“What’s been fun about that is to let guys go compete, you know, with a kind of a fresh perspective, trying to put those pieces to allow us to put the best defensive unit on the field,” Rudzinski said. “It’s been hyper, hyper competitive, and it’s going to be fun to see how it shakes out. And, you know, I hope that creates some depth for us as well.”
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Chris Graham
