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2018 Virginia Football Preview: Offseason has produced SERIOUS increase in team size

Offensive line sees most significant jumps in player weight from 2017 to now

NCAA Football: Georgia Tech at Virginia Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

For more than a year, dating back to before the 2017 football season kicked off, one recurring theme coming from the Virginia Cavaliers has been size—and the need to get more of it.

Height and weight are two metrics of paramount importance to this coaching staff. (Even incurring their first NCAA infraction in pursuit of more information about recruits’ size.) After their first season going through an ACC schedule, the coaches realized just how far behind its peer programs UVA was in terms of size and strength. And the 2017 strength program showed plenty of big gains across the roster.

With 2018 camp now underway, those gains haven’t slowed one bit.

The 2018 roster is now up on VirginiaSports.com, with updated weights for the returning players. And there are some big, BIG jumps for players coming back.

2018 Virginia football size changes

Name Position Height 2018 Weight 2017 Weight 2018 +/-
Name Position Height 2018 Weight 2017 Weight 2018 +/-
Isaac Buell DL 6-2 300 265 35
Lester Coleman P 6-5 245 225 20
Colin Dixon OLB 6-4 220 200 20
Tyler Fannin C 6-3 305 285 20
Chris Glaser OT 6-3 300 280 20
Ryan Nelson OT 6-4 310 290 20
R.J. Proctor OG 6-4 335 315 20
Shawn Smith DB 5-11 180 160 20
Charles Snowden OLB 6-7 225 205 20
Lindell Stone QB 6-0 220 200 20
Ryan Swoboda OL 6-10 290 270 20
Zane Zandier LB 6-3 235 215 20
Lamont Atkins TB 5-10 215 200 15
Richard Burney DE 6-4 280 265 15
Riah Burton WR 6-0 195 180 15
Mikey McDonald ILB 6-0 240 225 15
Joey Blount FS 6-1 190 180 10
Darrius Bratton DB 6-0 195 185 10
Dre Bryant OLB 6-1 235 225 10
Malcolm Cook ILB 6-1 240 230 10
Germane Crowell CB 6-0 200 190 10
Jordan Ellis TB 5-10 225 215 10
Tristan Hillerich QB 6-1 195 185 10
Hayden Mitchell WR 5-11 190 180 10
Darnell Pratt WR 6-2 190 180 10
Juan Thornhill SS 6-0 210 200 10
Gerrik Vollmer OL 6-3 290 280 10
Elliott Brown OLB 6-5 230 225 5
Tommy Christ DL 6-5 285 280 5
De'Vante Cross WR/CB/QB 6-2 205 200 5
Hasise Dubois WR 6-3 215 210 5
Nick Grant CB 6-1 195 190 5
Ben Hogg WR 5-10 180 175 5
Terrell Jana WR 6-0 190 185 5
PK Kier TB 6-0 230 225 5
Jordan Mack ILB 6-2 230 225 5
Gladimir Paul OLB 6-2 225 220 5
Chris Peace OLB 6-2 250 245 5
Donovan Rolle DB 5-11 195 190 5
Dominic Sheppard ILB 6-1 235 230 5
Robert Snyder ILB 6-2 235 230 5
Joe Spaziani QB/LS 6-2 215 210 5
Andrew Yavinsky FB 6-0 245 240 5
Mandy Alonso DE 6-2 290 290 0
Evan Butts TE 6-4 250 250 0
Tanner Cowley TE 6-4 235 235 0
Shane Eilers WR 6-1 195 195 0
CJ Epps SS 6-0 200 200 0
Jake Fieler OG/C 6-6 315 315 0
Matt Gahm OLB 6-3 225 225 0
Bryce Hall CB 6-1 200 200 0
Tim Harris CB 6-1 205 205 0
Zain Khokhar WR 6-2 200 200 0
Chris Moore OLB/FS 6-0 210 210 0
Brenton Nelson FS 5-11 180 180 0
Jamari Peacock FB 5-11 230 230 0
Joe Reed WR 6-1 215 215 0
Chris Sharp TB 6-1 195 195 0
Ben Trent OT 6-5 320 320 0
Olamide Zaccheaus HB 5-8 190 190 0
Justin Zollar RB 5-7 170 170 0
Cole Blackman WR 6-1 205 210 -5
Chuck Davis WR 5-9 170 175 -5
Nash Griffin PK/P 6-2 225 230 -5
Eli Hanback DT 6-4 300 305 -5
Reed Kellam ILB 6-1 225 230 -5
A.J. Mejia PK 5-8 175 180 -5
Dillon Reinkensmeyer OT 6-4 300 305 -5
T.J. Kitts QB 5-10 200 210 -10
C.J. Stalker ILB 6-2 230 240 -10
Osiris Crutchfield TE 6-3 265 280 -15
Ben Knutson OG 6-9 310 325 -15
Brian Delaney K 5-10 200 220 -20
Ryan Bischoff OT 6-4 305 330 -25

Holy Isaac Buell, Batman! The Viking headlines the beefing up in Charlottesville with a 35-pound jump to get over 3 bills. Then there’s the 6-foot-5, 245-pound tight end ... wait, I’m sorry, I’m being told that’s PUNTER Lester Coleman with a 20-pound offseason weight gain. Bombs away, big leg.

Five offensive linemen added at least twenty pounds. For Tyler Fannin, Chris Glaser, and Ryan Nelson, their new sizes all clock in over the 300-pound threshold. Nelson and Glaser were both under 260 when they committed to Virginia; thanks to two years in the weight room and at the training table, they’re now battling for a starting tackle spot.

R.J. Proctor is now the biggest player on the roster at a mammoth 335 pounds. Ryan Swoboda also added twenty pounds to his 6-foot-10 frame and now clocks in at 290.

A handful of guys also lost weight, undoubtedly in an effort to reshape their physique. Offensive tackle Ryan Bischoff dropped 25 pounds, the most of any player, with fellow lineman Ben Knutson dropping 15.

The weights for incoming players show how seriously the class of 2018 took their target sizes as well.

2018 Virginia football new guys

Name Position Height 2018 Weight Previous Weight 2018 +/-
Name Position Height 2018 Weight Previous Weight 2018 +/-
Bobby Haskins OL 6-7 280 250 30
Jordan Redmond DL 6-0 320 292 28
Derek Devine OL 6-6 295 275 20
Javar Garrett LB 6-1 225 205 20
Ugo Obasi WR 6-0 190 170 20
Victor Oluwatimi OL 6-3 295 275 20
Martin Weisz OL 6-6 325 305 20
Hunter Pearson PK 6-2 210 192 18
T.C. Harrison LB 6-2 215 199 16
Samson Reed DL 6-2 265 252 13
Grant Misch LB 6-4 240 232 8
Billy Kemp HB 5-9 175 170 5
Noah Taylor OLB 6-5 205 200 5
Wooby Theork-Youmans WR 5-9 165 163 2
Brennan Armstrong QB 6-2 210 210 0
Jaylon Baker CB 6-2 170 170 0
Tavares Kelly WR 5-8 160 160 0
Micah Mariteragi OL 6-2 265 265 0
Cassius Peat DL 6-3 280 280 0
Joseph White DB 6-1 175 175 0
Joe Bissinger OL 6-4 295 297 -2
Wayne Taulapapa TB 5-9 200 202 -2
Aaron Faumui DL 6-1 280 285 -5
Bryce Perkins QB 6-3 210 215 -5
Myles Robinson CB 5-11 190 195 -5
Marcus Applefield OL 6-5 300 308 -8

Bobby Haskins leads the way—no surprise, given that he enrolled early in large part to, well, get larger. Jordan Redmond reporting at 320 pounds is HUGE news (pun intended), as it means he might have the size to play nose tackle this year and alleviate the Hoos’ defensive line depth worries.

One other new guy number to watch: Dylan Thompson. When he left Ohio State, Thompson was between 275 and 280. As of his last Instagram update, the defensive lineman was up to a jacked 315.

Thompson can report to UVA once he finishes (and passes) his summer classes in Columbus and officially graduates.

Having the right size and knowing what to do with it on the field are two separate issues. But at the very least, there’s more ACC-caliber size on the Virginia roster as we get closer to kickoff on September 1st.