Virginia’s offense has plenty of questions to answer this fall and several position groups that have plenty to prove with playing time to sort out. Perhaps the deepest unit on the team, the running back group will need to figure out a rotation. But talent at that position appears strong coming out of spring practice.
All of the five backs that carried the ball in the Spring Game had strong moments but the eye-opening performance came from a player that isn’t even on scholarship.
Sophomore walk-on Jack Griese had a big second half, rushing 12 times for 90 yards and a touchdown, setting highs for the game in all three categories.
Griese, who was an all-state tailback at Chantilly, made a statement with his performance and in so doing introduced himself to a fanbase that probably didn’t even know he was on the roster.
He seemed happy with his performance after the game and was really glad to be back at Scott Stadium playing in front of fans.
“It was amazing. It’s been a while and after everything that happened, it was really hard the first practice to get back out there without them,” Griese said of the team getting back to football after losing Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry last fall. “But I feel like coming together and being in Scott Stadium with all the fans and everyone, it was an amazing feeling. Just running out there, out of the tunnel, Wahoo Walk, seeing all the fans out there, it was amazing.”
If the last name doesn’t give it away, Griese comes from a prolific football family. His grandfather, Bob, was the quarterback for the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His uncle, Brian, played in the NFL and is currently the QB coach for the San Francisco 49ers. But Griese landed in Charlottesville because of his parents, both UVa graduates. His father, Scott, played defensive back for the Cavaliers.
As one might expect, Griese grew up a Wahoo and now relishes his chance to be a part of the program.
“My parents actually went here,” he explained. “Both my parents graduated from here with masters. And I just love the UVa community. I remember coming to games when I was a little kid; sitting on The Lawn and just playing around, and on The Hill during games. It just means a lot to be in the UVa community, and it’s such a tight-knit community, that it’s amazing to be a part of.”
The life of a walk-on in a Power-5 football program isn’t for everyone. Not only are walk-ons typically further down the depth chart but they are usually asked to help out on scout team or do the “dirty work” in practice. Griese believes the key to being a successful walk-on at a program like this is staying mentally focused, even if he’s not in line for a big workload on Saturdays.
“It’s a grind. As a walk-on, you’re going to get the opportunities last,” he said. “The big thing is getting mental reps, focusing when you’re not in, not goofing around. Because we have a really deep running back room and getting reps is very difficult. So taking mental reps is very important and just paying attention to what’s happening and what they’re trying to do.”
UVa will have as many as seven backs on scholarship this fall, which could make carries hard to come by for Griese even if he performs well in practice.
“We have a very deep room. Mike (Hollins), Perris (Jones), Cody (Brown), Xavier (Brown),” Griese said. “There’s so much talent, it will just come down to camp and see who can perform then. I could see four guys, five guys being rotated, but it just depends on who breaks out in camp and who’s doing well.
“I think everyone’s really an all-around player,” he added. “There’s not one person that’s like ‘Oh, he’s not that great at that.’ It’s pretty balanced, and you can see how everyone thrives in each scenario, pass blocking, running and in the pass game. So I feel that we have a really balanced room.”
Offensive coordinator Des Kitchings didn’t come right out and say that Griese would have a role in this year’s offense after the Spring Game, but he’s clearly high on the sophomore ball carrier. After confirming that Griese could contribute on special teams, Kitchings made it clear that Griese has done enough to earn trust from the coaching staff if called upon.
“Griese is 220 pounds. He’s done a good job taking care of the football during spring practice,” Kitchings said. “We know football is a physical game, running backs get hit every play. Someone is going to get nicked up, right?, over the course of the season. We have belief in Griese, that if we get to that point he can go in there and play for us.”
