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Virginia Cavaliers football coach Bronco Mendenhall announced that two players—sophomore defensive ends Juwan Moye and Steven Wright—have decided to leave the program.
#UVa’s Bronco Mendenhall says Juwan Moye and Stephen Wright were suspended from the VT and bowl games and will not return due to a violation of team rules.
— Brad Franklin (@Cavs_Corner) December 16, 2017
Coach Mendenhall did not elaborate on what the violation was. Both players were given the option of staying with the program as walk-ons and earning back their scholarships, but both decided that transferring was their better option.
Moye and Wright both played in 11 games in 2017, with Moye starting five and Wright starting three. Wright recorded one sack against Boise State. Moye had one split sack with Chris Peace against North Carolina.
With Andrew Brown exhausting his eligibility this year, the departure of Moye and Wright leaves the Virginia defensive line with only two players who will return in 2018 that also started a game in 2017: defensive tackle Eli Hanback, and tackle/end Mandy Alonso.
The incoming recruiting class currently has three defensive line commits, with an additional one or two targets still on the board.
Virginia plays the Navy Midshipmen in the 2017 Military Bowl on December 28th.