When Virginia returns to full-padded practices in the late summer, the Wahoos will look a lot different than they did during the spring. And that’s especially true on the offensive line where head coach Bronco Mendenhall expects 17 players to suit up.

Considering the amount of effort Mendenhall and O-line coach Garett Tujague have put into building that position up over the course of what is now their fourth year on Grounds, it’s a significant moment for the program and potentially the offense.

With Dillon Reinkensmeyer, Chris Glaser, Gerrik Vollmer, and Bobby Haskins all unable to participate this spring due to injury, Tujague was left undermanned and inexperienced. But that may have been a gift of sorts.

“It was very good,” Tujague said following UVa’s final practice of spring ball. “I got the chance to develop some younger players. That was the more important thing, being able to get a lot of reps to a lot of young guys to see where their skill level is and then give them things to work on over the summer. The best thing coming out of spring is developing players and forging your brand and keeping people healthy. We were able to do all of that and I think we got a lot of good, quality reps.”

So, then, to have all of them returning as well as adding others to the roster, including four-star tackle Ja’Quay Hubbard, it must feel like Christmas morning.

“That’s unbelievable,” Tujague said with a smile. “I can’t even put it into words. When you have 17 healthy bodies at the O-line spot, that’s going to be a great day. You can challenge guys, you get good reps and rotations going, and you can do all the work you need. It’s awesome. I’m so glad we’ll have that.”

One of the players who figures to be a key part of the rotation at tackle is Ryan Swaboda. Now listed at 6-foot-10, 290 pounds, the rising redshirt sophomore has changed his style of play and now just needs to continue to get stronger as he earns more time.

“I thought he did a really good job,” Tujague said, “and that’s one of the young guys I was really looking forward to working with and forging and getting him ready. I think the thing with him was that there good days and some days that he struggled. So a key factor for him this offseason, this summer, is going to be the weight room. If he can attack that with the same way he attacked his style of play then I think he’ll be fine come fall camp.”

With Reinkensmeyer out, the Cavaliers were also able to get plenty of reps at center for redshirt sophomore Tyler Fannin and Air Force transfer Victor Oluwatimi, who will be eligible this fall after sitting out last season. Tujague, he explained, was very pleased with what he saw from them both.

“I thought they were great,” he said. “First and foremost, this is the first spring where we’ve had one bad snap. Usually here, it’s been one or two bad snaps a period. So that, solidifying that, their effort and energy for that, it’s been really good. Man, I thought they just did a really good job. I thought Olu stepped up huge, I thought Tyler did a really nice job of responding, and that was the best position on the field with competition.”

So what might might that competition mean for the position as well as for Reinkensmeyer given his level of experience and versatility?

“I think you just see how it sorts out because you can’t count out Dillon either,” Tujague said. “He’s done such a great job for us over the years and you’ve got to play your best five regardless of what their skillset is or what their position is on the field.”

All told, Tujague goes into rest of the spring and summer with a much better idea of what his younger guys can do, information that will come in handy as the Hoo try to replace a trio of starters from last year’s 8-5 team.

“I just really liked what I saw from a bunch of the young guys,” he said. “It was really good to work with Derek Devine. He got a ton of reps and, because of the injuries, it gave him an opportunity to put his brand out here on the field. It was fun to work Joe Bissinger. I thought he did a really good job of moving forward. A lot of them did.”

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