2022 OT Boley sold on opportunity at UVa
After moving to the offensive line prior to his senior season and with the goal of continuing his football career at the college level, McKale Boley had no choice but to give up his other sport: soccer.
Boley had been playing the game since second grade, lining up all over the field but most recently at center back. But the conditioning that came from playing soccer made it more challenging to put on the weight he needed to play on the O-line. So Boley’s junior season was his last on the pitch.
But those years playing soccer did have at least one positive impact on his performance on the football field, Boley told CavsCorner during a conversation this week.
“I think it helped a lot,” he explained, “because I feel like I have better footwork than most O-linemen. It helps me on certain things.”
It was that footwork and athleticism that caught the attention of Virginia offensive line coach Garett Tujague while watching Boley’s highlights on Hudl. In search of reinforcements for a depleted depth chart—the Wahoos have lost their top six linemen from last year—Tujague reached out. A day or two later, he caught Boley off-guard with a UVa offer.
Three weeks later, Boley committed to the Cavaliers.
Boley publicly announced that decision on Monday evening. He actually made the decision a day earlier, telling Tujague and new UVa head coach Tony Elliott Sunday morning while on a visit to the school.
That conversation capped a big weekend for the 6-foot-6 product of Hattiesburg (Ms.) Oak Grove. Boley had been in daily contact with Tujague since the UVa offer was originally extended in early January, but it was his first chance to meet the Hoos’ O-line coach in person. He’d only had one phone conversation with Elliott prior to the visit, and hadn’t talked with any other members of the revamped coaching staff.
Boley said he was immediately drawn in by the uplifting attitudes exuded by the staff, and appreciated Elliott sharing his back story while addressing the group of visitors. He also got a better sense of Tujague’s energy and passion in person—and bonded with the 2022 recruits who were back in town for the weekend after signing with UVa in December.
“They were lit. They were all straight,” Boley said of the 2022 signees. “They weren’t pushing me to make a decision but they were cool.”
Turns out, they didn’t have to push Boley very hard. Even before arriving in Charlottesville, “I was pretty positive I was gonna commit while I was there,” the big tackle admitted.
Tujague had been selling Boley on the Cavaliers’ need for offensive linemen. He was one of the linemen to pick up offers after Tujague, who is entering his seventh season at UVa, went on the onslaught shortly after it was announced that he’d been retained by Elliott. The Wahoos didn’t sign any offensive linemen in December; Boley is one of four to commit to the school since Friday, joining Georgetown grad transfer Mac Hollensteiner and fellow 2022 recruits Houston Curry and Noah DeMeritt.
The staff envisions Boley, who recently hit the 300-pound plateau while bulking up in his post-soccer career, as a tackle. He’ll get every opportunity to play right away when he arrives next summer.
“They said if I’m ready to play when I first get there, then I’ll play,” he recounted. “But if not then we’ll take that one year to build me up.”
After transitioning from the defensive line prior to his senior season, Boley says he’s more comfortable with a season at offensive tackle under his belt. Tujague has stressed improvement on finishing through blocks on run plays and, most importantly, getting stronger as he prepares to get to UVa.
“He says I have the talent level,” Boley said, “but as you go up into college and the NFL it’s just people get bigger so you have to get stronger.”
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