Alex Gellerstedt to miss 2019 season for Virginia

One of the projected contributors in the Virginia Cavaliers offensive line group will miss the 2019 season, head coach Bronco Mendenhall announced at the ACC Kickoff event in Charlotte.

Graduate transfer Alex Gellerstedt suffered a knee injury that ended his first year at UVA before it began. Gellerstedt transferred from Penn State in the spring.

There are plenty of options for Gellerstedt’s future as a Cavalier. He would be a strong candidate for a medical redshirt that would maintain both of his playing seasons. Even taking a traditional redshirt, Gellerstedt would have one additional year to play in Charlottesville.

A product of Dublin Coffman High School in Dublin, Ohio, Gellerstedt was a well regarded offensive line prospect coming out of high school. In two seasons with the Nittany Lions, he appeared in eight games.

Losing Gellerstedt is a blow to the offensive line rotation and depth, but the coaching staff has done well to restock the cupboard for a position group that was nearly barren when they arrived in 2015. Ryan Nelson, Ryan Swoboda, Bobby Haskins, and Ja’Quay Hubbard should compete for the two tackle positions, while Tyler Fannin and Olu Oluwatimi ought to be the lead contenders for the starting center spot. Expect Dillon Reinkensmeyer and Chris Glaser to be in the mix at guard, together with Fannin and Oluwatimi—whichever isn’t snapping the ball. A number of redshirt freshmen—Joe Bissinger, Derek Devine, Zachary Teter, and Martin Weisz, just to name a few—could also be ready to step in for limited action as needed.