Countdown to Kickoff: #51 Zach Bradshaw

• Position:: ILB
• Class: Senior
• Height: 6’3”
• Weight: 235
• Hometown: Damascus, Maryland
• Twitter: @Zach_Bradshaw3

Zach Bradshaw enters the 2016 football season as the only senior in Virginia’s linebacker corps. While teammate Micah Kiser garners most of the headlines, Bradshaw has developed into an important and steady presence among the front seven. After playing his first three seasons at outside linebacker, he’ll shift to the inside this season as part of the transition to the 3-4.

Bradshaw came to UVA in 2013 after decommitting from Penn State in wake of the Sandusky scandal. He was the unfortunate victim of a questionable redshirting decision by Mike London’s staff in 2013. Bradshaw played in 5 games that season, but didn’t see the field until the seventh game of the year because of a wrist injury. Virginia was 2-5 by the time Bradshaw started playing. The Wahoos finished the campaign 2-10.

Bradshaw collected 10 tackles in 2013, but took a slight step back the next year. He played in 12 games in 2014, but most of his time was on special teams. Bradshaw bounced back amidst regular playing time in 2015, starting nine games and recording 53 tackles. He has one forced fumble, 1.5 sacks, and 3.5 tackles for loss in his career. You can see his forced fumble in the video below at the 4:32 mark.

With Kiser and Bradshaw manning the first unit, Virginia’s inside linebackers should be a strength for the defense this fall.