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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 19, 2018

Bronco Mendenhall

Greensboro, North Carolina

BRONCO MENDENHALL: Feels like football again to be back on the conference call with everyone. I just walked off our practice field as we are still practicing, and I'm encouraged by the growth in our program.

I'm encouraged by our return to post-season play here at the University of Virginia. I believe the culture is preceding the performance, and the performance is starting and just initially beginning to catch up. Confidence is growing, mindset is becoming more resilient, and our team is growing and our program is expanding.

So I like the direction we're headed with lots of work to to go and lots of work to do. So I'll take questions.

Q. As a team that excelled last season in kickoff returns, how will you and Coach Brumfield instruct Joe and your other returners with the new rule fair catch on a kickoff?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: Yeah, that's a really good question, and I don't think I have an answer yet. We're still in the exploring, researching, and innovation stage of how might it effect us, what strategies might be employed to keep the ball away from our returner like we have, and how the rule change might effect us.

I would say we're still in the fact-finding and discovery phase with a solution pending. I'm sure that will come and it will be clear. But I don't have an exact answer yet.

Q. Do you like the rule, and do you think college football is moving away from the kickoff all together eventually?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: What I like is the intent to make the game as safe as possible knowing that it's a physical and violent game. So I think taking that into consideration and altering what rules can and will affect players being more safe, I think is a great step. Whether this becomes that step that really addresses the player safety and well-being, again, the facts are that there are other sports that are still more violent and more concussion-oriented than football.

But it appears the research and kickoff, those things come together, and we'll see if this rule change creases the level we're hopeful for.

So I like the intent. I'm not certain yet if this is the rule that will help.

Q. First I wanted to ask, understanding the numbers and the depth situation that you deal with, would you like to eventually move to a more traditional spring game, scoring system head-to-head, two teams kind of a deal? This is just where the program's at? Or do you like this as the long-term kind of format?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: No, I like this as the step, more of what we have to do on the way to what we want to do. I would prefer a spring game. I'd prefer it to be competitive. I'd prefer jobs to still be on the line in competition where the game had relevance. I'd love for it to be the next step of assessing talent in a competitive setting and ongoing competitions to drive what our roster looks like going into the fall. We're just currently not to that place.

So there are a number of positions every year that are limiting to where it's not possible to divide the team, wouldn't be effective. And the risk for losing some of our players through injury would be beyond what I feel comfortable with. So, yeah, it's not my ideal. Really, what we've chosen to do is make sure it's valuable to our program in terms of practice. I love that the fans are there and want them to have a great experience. The primary motive right now though is to develop our team. At some point a spring game will be in our future.

Q. When you think about -- you mentioned part of the off-season focus was to get stronger, and that was kind of the instruction you gave to Coach Gris. Have you seen a result from that or is it too soon and that's something you hope shows up in the fall?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: Oh, those metrics, measuring is a great way to simply objectively say is that happening or not? Our strength numbers we're testing more frequently, we're monitoring more closely, and there is growth, progress, and strength gains that are happening at a level that haven't happened in my first two years here, just through emphasis. So I like the direction. I still view it as kind of a phase one initiative. But our team looks better, they are stronger, they're more capable of moving heavy things. So I like the direction, and yes, it's already showed results and dividends.

Q. Let's talk about your quarterback position. I know you lost Kurt to the NFL Draft. Just talk about your quarterbacks. What do you like to see in the spring game? September 1st, who is going to be starting?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: Yeah, it's a great question. I'll give the same answer as going into the spring. We have a junior college player that's come in at quarterback. His name is Bryce Perkins. Bryce currently is our starting quarterback. We have competition for the number two and three spots between Brennan Armstrong who is a true first year player and Lindell Stone who is coming into his second year. Depth is being established at that position. I like the direction we're going. And so if we were to say today, it would be Bryce.

But, again, we still have an entire week of spring practice, an entire summer and fall camp. Then we get to game week. But as of today, that's who it is.

Q. In your opinion, what is the hardest position to develop during spring practice?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: That really depends on what your roster looks like. For us, at our stage in our development of our program, offensive and defensive line, our numbers simply are very limiting in the type of practices we'd like to have, the volume we'd like to have, and the contact we'd like to have. So when you're talking about a position that needs physical play and needs contextual play and needs development and coordination with other players, especially offensive front-wise, when the depth and volume doesn't allow that to happen, it makes it very difficult.

Q. What was your major goal going into spring practice this year?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: It's pretty simple. We're looking to become a stronger and more physical football team. Any format and measures that we can put in place that will promote it and measure it, that's what we're after. We think that that has to be addressed, especially in our fronts on both sides, for us to have the kind of team and sustainability that we want, so that's what we're targeting.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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