Crunching the Numbers of Football’s First Jersey Selections

This week kicked off the jersey number selection process for the UVA football team - with 28 players having earned their numbers for the year:

In a tradition that started with Coach Mendenhall’s arrival in Charlottesville, towards the end of the team’s summer practice each year, players that have passed the team’s threshold for earning a jersey number select their new numbers from anything available. The result usually includes some unconventional numbers for players at different positions - and this year’s first group is no different:

Zane Zandier - 0

Noah Taylor - 7

Nick Jackson - 6

Charles Snowden - 11

Snowden was 11 last year as well, but 0, 7, 6, 11 is a strange collection of linebackers for the Hoos - not to mention Rob Snyder back from injury for his senior year sporting #22.

Senior DE Richard Burney was highlighted by the team for being selected first to choose his number:

Potential starting QB, Brennan Armstrong, switched numbers from 10 to 5 and DB Darrius Bratton changed to 8 from 32. Punter Nash Griffin wins the highly-coveted award for “largest difference in numbers” as he’s now sporting number 2 after having been 81 last year.

Keen-eyed and curious fans might notice a few unfamiliar names in the release: Coen King, Perris Jones, and Hayden Mitchell are three walk-on players to earn their numbers as well - grabbing 9, 10, and 18 respectively.

The remaining numbers are repeated from the previous year’s team - I suppose the offensive linemen didn’t feel like mixing it up.

Stay tuned for more number updates and keep wearing your mask in public so that we can actually have a football season!