Aug. 10, 2010

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Mike London is likely to be a bigger fan of redshirting than was his predecessor as UVa’s football coach, Al Groh. But don’t expect Morgan Moses to be among the first-year players who sit out this season.

Moses, a 6-6, 350-pound offensive tackle, played for Fork Military Academy’s postgraduate team last fall, so he’s not a typical college freshman.

“Morgan came here to play, and he’s going to play,” London said before practice Tuesday. “Now it’s up to his level of understanding, his learning curve right now. Because physically he can do it, but now he’s going to be [blocking] against college defensive ends.

“So if he can do it out here and continue his learning curve of understanding the offense, getting the technique down that Coach [Ron] Mattes is teaching him, then he’ll only get better. But right now, he’s slated to play, as long as he can continue to handle what’s being thrown at him.”

Moses was a Parade All-American as a Meadowbrook High School senior in 2008. He signed with UVa for the first time in February 2009 but failed to meet NCAA eligibility. So he enrolled at FUMA last summer and bolstered his academic credentials in 2009-10.

During training camp this week, Moses has been working with the second team. He’s made a good early impression on his coaches.

“He blocks out the sun,” London said. “He’s 350 pounds, and the good thing about him is, he benches more than his weight. That’s a good thing. And he’s learning. He’s learning the game. So we’re excited for him. When you recruit these players — four-star, five-star, whatever they’re rated — they want to come and they want to play, and this is an opportunity for a guy like that to play.”

Jeff White

Print Friendly Version