Applefield Looks to Make Instant Impact

Twitter: @JeffWhiteUVa | 2018 Football Schedule | Ticket Information | VSTV Football Page

CHARLOTTESVILLE — He’s still learning the names of his teammates, some of whom won’t arrive at the University of Virginia until the middle of next month, and he’s still finding his way in head coach Bronco Mendenhall‘s football program.

Offensive lineman Marcus Applefield, who graduated from Rutgers this spring, is keenly aware of his status as a newcomer at UVA, and he knows he might not be put in an official leadership position on the team this fall.

“If that does happen, that’s fine,” Applefield said. “But I’m going to lead with my work ethic. I’m going to lead and try to just compete and make other people compete against me.

“That’s how I’m going to lead, because in the position I’m in right now I can’t really vocally lead, because I’m a new guy.”

He smiled. “No one really wants to hear stuff from the new guy. I can lead with my actions, though, and that’s my major goal.”

Applefield is from Weeki Wachee, Fla., about 55 miles north of Tampa. As a high school senior, he narrowed his list of college possibilities to three: Rutgers, Vanderbilt and Virginia, whose head coach then was Mike London.

He liked UVA, Applefield recalled, but he “believed Coach London was on the hot seat, so I just didn’t want to take that chance.”

Applefield started 10 games at right guard for the Scarlet Knights in 2017 and made the Big Ten’s All-Academic team for the third time. After the season, however, he decided change was needed.

“I wouldn’t say it was one major, drastic thing that made me leave,” Applefield said. “A lot of small things. I just wanted change and to see what else there was. And now I see that there are other things that can be done and that are different.”

At UVA, Mendenhall had taken over for London after the 2015 season, and most of the football staff had changed too. But holdovers in the McCue Cener included assistant recruiting coordinator Blanda Wolfe, whom Applefield remembered from their previous communication.

“So I contacted Blanda first,” Applefield said, “and he immediately emailed me back and said, `Hey, we’re on it.’ And it was downhill from there.”

When he learned Applefield was looking for a new school, Wolfe passed along the news to Garett Tujague, who coaches the Wahoos’ offensive linemen.

“He said, `Yes, go get him,’ ” Wolfe recalled. “We just thought he was a great fit.”

Applefield also considered Pitt and West Virginia, among other schools, and thought about returning to home to play for the University of Central Florida.

Ultimately, though, “I just didn’t want to move far,” Applefield said. “Moving is a hassle for me. I wanted to stay closer, in the Northeast region. This is where I want to live long term after football, because I just love the area.

“I definitely chose carefully. I didn’t want to regret my decision or anything of that nature. I knew I liked Virginia. I knew some people here, like Blanda, and it all just came down to what it looked like when I visited. Do I get along with the players? Do I get along with the coaches? Because obviously I’ve been recruited before. Coaches can say whatever they want, but I’ll see it myself with my own eyes when I get there.”

He clicked immediately with Tujague, whom Applefield called “a major part in my decision.”

As for Mendenhall, Applefield said, “I think he’s a straight shooter, but you can tell he deeply cares for his players, which you can’t say about every head coach. Some head coaches are football, football, football, and I can tell with Coach Mendenhall that his family and core values are there. You can tell this place has a family vibe. That’s why I love Virginia.

“Everything just fell into place. When I got here, I couldn’t have been happier. I could have gotten here and been like, `This is OK. I can make do for one year.’ Fortunately, that’s not the case. I love it here thus far and I think I’ll continue to do that.”

Applefield, who stands 6-5, said his weight usually ranges from 308 to 320 pounds. Whatever his exact measurements, he’s an imposing figure.

“That’s exactly what they’re supposed to look like,” Tujague said.

On an offensive line that returns such players as Jake Fieler, Chris Glaser, R.J. Proctor, Dillon Reinkensmeyer, Ryan Nelson, Tyler Fannin and Ben Knutson, Applefield is a significant addition. He brings much-needed leadership and experience, Tujague said, to a group that’s been in building mode since Mendenhall took over.

“I’m coaching the heck out of my [returning] guys,” Tujague said, “but when you have an example of how it’s supposed to look, how it’s supposed to be, [that’s ideal].

“His effort and energy, and his attention to detail, it’s unmatched. He is a perfect example of what a leader should be.”

When training camp opens in August, the first-team O-line is likely to consist of Applefield at right tackle, Fieler at right guard, Reinkensmeyer at center, Proctor at left guard, and Glaser or Nelson at left tackle, Tujague said.

Applefield said he’s felt comfortable from the start with his position group.

“Obviously, coming as a transfer, you’re trying to take someone’s job, and they all know that,” he said. “But they’ve been more than welcoming, because they’re just good guys, period. And that’s why I came here, because I saw it on my official visit. I noticed that these were some good guys that I would love to be around, and you can’t say that about every school. They’ve been awesome.”

Applefield, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers in criminal justice, is enrolled in a master’s program in the Curry School of Education.

“He’s driven,” Mendenhall said. “He’s principle-oriented. He wanted a program where the coach and the team [were] attracting people of quality, and it matters to him what the locker room feels like.

“It matters to him what relationships are like. It matters to him if he thinks the program can win … And so we’re really excited, because he’s not only needed, but he’s wanted. So we get an experienced football player that has leadership skills that really wants a great culture of relationships with teammates and the quality of people, with the chance to win. All those things are happening now, so it’s a great fit.”

Growing up in Florida, Applefield said, he played football, baseball, basketball and lacrosse. He also was an honor student who thought he might one day become a lawyer.

After learning more about that career path, Applefield said, “I figured out law wasn’t for me.” But he remained interested in law enforcement, and during his senior year at Rutgers served an internship with the New Jersey State Police, an experience that “definitely put it in stone that this is something I could see myself doing,” Applefield said.

He hopes to play in the NFL after completing his eligibility at UVA. And when his football career ends?

“I’m not 100-percent sure exactly what I want to do,” Applefield said. “I think I’d be a really good coach, because I’m detail-oriented. But I also love criminal justice, the law-enforcement side.”

Those decisions can wait. For now, he’s focused on this new chapter of his life, which is unfolding in an environment he loves.

“Even as a child, driving through South Carolina, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, I’ve just always thought it was so beautiful, and you get all seasons,” Applefield.

“I love the seasons. I love the snow,” Applefield said before amending that statement. “Not for too long. Not too much [snow], but I love the seasons. And the mountains here in Virginia are beautiful.

“I don’t want to go back to Florida, because you just don’t get all the seasons. I think it’s a great vacation spot. I don’t think it’s a great place to live.”

He laughed. “Don’t tell my mom that.”