It was always a comparison that Ira Armstead embraced.
A dual-threat quarterback at Adams High School in South Bend (IN), Armstead first got Virginia’s attention when he threw for 2,207 yards and ran for 1,104 as a junior in 2018. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, he had both the frame and athleticism of the team's quarterback at the time, Bryce Perkins.
UVa offered Armstead over the summer before his senior season. The two-star recruit accepted a few weeks later and signed with the school that December. He watched as Perkins rewrote the UVa record book while leading the Wahoos to a Coastal Division title and an Orange Bowl appearance, envisioning himself making some of the same highlights along the way. After Armstead signed, even head coach Bronco Mendenhall talked up the similarities between his current quarterback and his incoming one.
Two seasons later, Perkins is in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams and Armstead is in his second summer in Charlottesville. He’s been competing in camp to be UVa's backup behind junior Brennan Armstrong, who started all but one game a year ago.
Armstrong has a stronger and more accurate arm than Perkins but lacks his predecessor’s top-end speed and elusiveness. He’s more of a straight-ahead runner who looks to bowl over opposing defenders. The UVa offense has been built around Armstrong’s strengths, which has led to some challenges for Armstead.
“That’s honestly a blessing,” he explained, “because me and Bryce are similar in a lot of ways, and me and Brennan are different in ways. So it’s kind of building on my weaknesses.”
Armstead enrolled early at UVa for the spring 2020 semester, and has encountered a series of setbacks ever since. Spring practices were canceled that first semester and last year’s preseason camp altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. He appeared in four games as a true freshman last fall before suffering a knee injury at Miami that ended his season.
Armstead had surgery on that knee last November and his recovery lingered into this spring, limiting what he could do in practice. He spent that down time reflecting on where he could improve heading into his second season and studied film of both Armstrong and Perkins. He finally felt healthy again at the end of spring camp and was able to participate fully in summer conditioning.
“Feeling great. A lot better than last year,” the redshirt freshman said this week. “Just coming out and proving I’m way better than they saw the first time.”
This summer, Armstead has been competing with first-years Jacob Rodriguez and Jay Woolfolk for the No. 2 quarterback job behind Armstrong. Quarterbacks coach Jason Beck said early in camp that that competition was wide open, and offensive coordinator Robert Anae indicated this week that the job remained up for grabs.
Rodriguez has had the benefit of a full spring of practices after enrolling early in January, and drew comparisons to Kyler Murray from Armstead. The second-year also praised the arm strength of Woolfolk, a former two-sport star at Benedictine who also intends to pitch for the Wahoos. Defensive coordinator Nick Howell mentioned this week how Armstead’s speed has been a challenge for his unit in practice.
All three quarterbacks will enter the season with jersey numbers after getting to choose on Thursday night. Armstead, who wore No. 98 last year, switched to No. 11. Woolfolk will wear No. 25 while Rodriguez went with Armstead’s old No. 98.
“It’s kind of just been normal,” Armstead said of the backup quarterback competition. “All of us working. We’re all rotating in there, just putting in work. Showing what we can do. We’re all different but we all shine in different ways.”
According to Anae, the three quarterbacks competing for that backup spot have also been asked to jump in at other spots on the offense. That’s nothing new for Armstead, who threw three passes, caught one, and got 10 carries before getting hurt last year. He has gotten snaps at both running back and receiver again this summer. During one practice window open to the media this preseason, Armstead was in his orange jersey working as a gunner during a punt coverage drill.
“I'm willing to do whatever it takes to win,” he said, “but when my time comes and it’s time for me to be the quarterback, then I’ll be the quarterback.”
Armstead said this week that he was up to 220 pounds, about 10 pounds heavier than his weight last season and a good 25 pounds bigger than when he was a senior in high school. Joking that “when we warm up against William & Mary, he will be the best-looking guy on the field” and “he looks like he belongs in the Olympics,” Anae agreed that Armstead looks the part—though the offensive coordinator conceded that Armstead is still making up for the time he missed in the spring.
Armstead believes he has benefited from the homework he put in while working his way back from his knee injury. He has felt more poised since the start of camp, and feels himself rushing less while working through his progressions. So when the day comes that UVa needs its next Bryce Perkins, Armstead says he’ll be ready.
“I feel a lot better than last year,” he reiterated. "Just going in confident. Every day improving, just one rep at a time. Taking it one rep at a time, and with that everything just started slowing down and I started playing my game.”
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