Quin Blanding

NOTABLE
On Oct. 28, 2017 at Pitt, Quin Blanding passed Jamie Sharper as UVA’s all-time record holder in career tackles. Sharper (1993-96), a linebacker, held the previous record of 435 career tackles for 21 years … finished career tied for No. 6 all-time in ACC history with 495 career tackles, sharing the spot with Duke’s Ryan Fowler (2000-03) … holds the ACC career record for tackles by a defensive back with 495 … owns UVA record for career assisted tackles (235) … made 49 career starts, which is tied for No. 2 all-time at UVA with Clint Sintim and D’Brickashaw Ferguson … finished No. 2 in the ACC in tackles all four seasons of his career (no one had ever finished No. 2 three years in a row until Blanding) … in 2017 joined Micah Kiser (145) and Jordan Mack (114) to become one of two FBS programs (New Mexico State) and the only “Power 5” school to have a trio of players with at least 100 tackles in the same season … invited to play in the 2018 Senior Bowl. 

HONORS
2017 – Walter Camp All-American second-team … Football Writers Association of America All-America second-team … Sporting News All-American second-team … USA Today All-American second-team … Associated Press All-American third-team … College Football News All-American first-team … Bleacher Report All-American first-team … SB Nation All-American first-team …. Phil Steele All-America second-team … Sports on Earth All-American third-team … All-ACC first-team … Touchdown Club of Richmond’s Defensive Back of the Year … Jim Thrope Award Semifinalist … Lott IMPACT Trophy Quarterfinalist … Bednarik Award Preseason Watch List … Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List … Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List … Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List … Senior Bowl Watch List … Allstate … AFCA Good Works Team … Wuerffel Trophy Watch List … Associated Press All-American (2nd) … Phil Steele Preseason All-American (2nd) … Phil Steele Preseason All-ACC (1st)  … Athlon Sports Preseason All-American (2nd) … Athlon Sports Preseason All-ACC (1st). 2016 – Sporting News All-American second-team … All-ACC first-team … Coaches All-ACC first-team … College Sports Madness All-American third-team … Associated Press All-ACC first-team … Phil Steele first-team All-ACC … Touchdown Club of Richmond’s defensive back of the year … VaSID first-team all-state … Bednarik preseason watch list … Nagurski preaseason watch list … Thorpe preseason watch list … Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list … preseason All-ACC … Athlon Sports fourth-team preseason All-American … Phil Steele fourth-team preseason All-American … Phil Steele first-team preseason All-ACC. 2015 – USA Today All-American second-team … Sports Illustrated All-American honorable mention … College Sports Madness All-American second-team … All-ACC first-team … All-ACC Coaches second-team … Touchdown Club of Richmond’s defensive back of the year … Bednarik Award preseason watch list … Bronko Nagurski Trophy preseason watch list … Thorpe Award preseason watch list … preseason All-ACC … Phil Steele preseason fourth-team All-American … Athlon Sports preseason third-team All-American … first-team Phil Steele preseason All-ACC … first-team Athlon Sports preseason All-ACC. 2014 – Scout.com National Defensive Rookie of the Year … FWAA Freshman All-American … Scout.com Freshman All-American … ESPN.com Freshman All-American … Sporting News True Freshman All-American … USA Today Freshman All-American … Phil Steele Freshman All-American … 247Sports True Freshman All-American … ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year … ACC Coaches Defensive Rookie of the Year … All-ACC second-team … All-ACC Coaches second-team … VaSID Defensive Rookie of the Year … ECAC National Co-Rookie of the Year … ECAC All-Star … VaSID second-team all-state … USA Today Midseason Top-5 Freshman List … Phil Steele Midseason All-ACC second-team … UVA’s recipient of the Z Society Bill Dudley Award presented to the first-year player that exemplifies excellence in the classroom, on the field and in the community.

AT VIRGINIA
2017 – Started all 13 of UVA’s games … recorded 12 tackles in a season-opening win against William & Mary … notched 12 tackles against Indiana, six of which were solo stops … made nine stops against UConn … led UVA with 10 tackles, eight of which were solo, in road win at Boise State … also collected one tackle for a loss of three yards … was named ACC Defensive Back of the Week after making eight tackles and adding a ‘pick-6’ against Duke … his 58-yard interception return for a touchdown marked his first collegiate score and the longest interception return of his career … was named ACC Defensive Back of the Week for the second week in a row after collecting 10 tackles in a road win at North Carolina … made 13 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against Boston College … led UVA with nine tackles and one interception at Pitt … made four stops and 0.5 tackles for loss against Georgia Tech … intercepted his ninth career pass and returned it 13 yards against the Yellow Jackets … made nine tackles and broke up a pass at Louisville … made eight stops and one interception at No. 2 Miami … notched a career-high 17 tackles against Virginia Tech … made 16 tackles against Navy in the Military Bowl. 2016 – Finished 2016 No. 9 all-time at UVA with 358 career tackles, the most in program history by a defensive back … started all 12 of UVA’s games … finished season No. 2 in the ACC and No. 9 in the nation with 10.0 tackles per game … finished the season No. 1 in the ACC and No. 11 in the nation with 5.8 solo tackles per game … recorded seven tackles in the season opener against Richmond … shared the team lead with nine tackles at then-No. 24 Oregon … at UConn shared the team lead for the second game in a row with Micah Kiser with 11 tackles, eight of which were solo stops … led UVA with 12 tackles against Central Michigan … made seven stops and his first interception of the season at Duke in the ACC opener … his interception against the Blue Devils was one of five by the Cavaliers on the day, tying a team record that has been reached 10 times … set a new career high with 16 tackles against Pitt … his 16 stops against the Panthers gave him 300 for his career, making him the third-fastest Cavalier to reach the milestone and the fastest defensive back … led UVA with 13 tackles and 1.0 TFL against then-No. 22 North Carolina … made eight tackles, broke up two passes and intercepted one against then-No. 5 Louisville … returned his third quarter interception 30 yards … made seven tackles at Wake Forest … made six tackles at Georgia Tech … was second on the team with 12 stops at Virginia Tech in the season finale. 2015 – Started all 12 of UVA’s games … finished the regular season No. 2 in the ACC and No. 20 in the nation with 115 tackles … it’s the second year in a row he finished No. 2 in the ACC in tackles … registered double-digit tackles in seven of UVA’s 12 games … led UVA with 38 tackles on passing plays … recorded 76 tackles on rushing plays … along with teammate Micah Kiser, became the only teammates in all 10 FBS conferences to finish the regular season ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in tackles in their respective leagues … along with Kiser, became the first UVA set of sophomores to be named first-team All-ACC since Terry Kirby and Chris Slade in 1990 … tallied 10 tackles and one tackle for loss at No. 13 UCLA … made eight stops against No. 9 Notre Dame … made seven tackles against William & Mary … made seven tackles and recovered a fumble at Pitt … led UVA with 12 tackles in UVA’s win over Syracuse that went three overtimes … six of his tackles were solo against the Orange … named the team’s defensive player of the game against North Carolina when he led the Cavaliers with 12 tackles and one interception … he forced a fumble also against the Tar Heels … seven of his tackles at North Carolina were solo stops … named ACC Defensive Back of the Week after posting a game-high 15 tackles against Georgia Tech … eight of his stops against the Yellow Jackets were solo and he broke up two passes … his second pass breakup came on a fourth down opportunity for Georgia Tech with 1:06 left and solidified the win … seven of his 15 tackles against Georgia Tech came in the fourth quarter … tallied five tackles at Miami … led UVA with 14 tackles, nine of which were solo, at Louisville … tallied 11 tackles in a win over Duke … six of his stops against the Blue Devils were solo tackles … tied for the team lead with 10 tackles in the season finale against Virginia Tech. 2014 – One of four true freshmen to see playing time and one of two to start at least one game … one of 10 cavaliers to start all 12 games … was the first UVA true freshman to start a season opener at one of the two safety positions since Tony Blount did so at Washington on Sept. 11, 1976 … finished the regular season No. 2 in the ACC and No. 12 nationally with 123 tackles … broke UVA’s freshman record for tackles that was previously held by Ahmad Brooks’ 117 tackles in 2003 … led the nation’s freshmen with 123 tackles … tied for the team lead with three interceptions (Richmond, UNC, Miami) … led UVA with 79 tackles on rushing plays … finished rookie campaign tied with Jamie Sharper (1996) for No. 10 in the UVA record book for tackles in a season … one of two freshmen in the nation to led his team in tackles (NC State’s Jerod Fernandez) … recorded nine tackles in his collegiate debut against UCLA … made seven combined tackles, broke up two passes, and made first collegiate pick against Richmond … recorded nine total tackles and one broken up pass against No. 21 Louisville … had a total of eight tackles at BYU … led the team with 13 combined tackles in a victory over Kent State … set a career high and set the team’s season high with 15 tackles in a win over Pitt … made nine tackles at Duke … recorded six total tackles and the only interception against the Tar Heels … led the team with 13 combined stops at Georgia Tech … led the team again with 13 total tackles at No. 2 Florida State … had seven tackles and had returned an interception for six yards in a win over Miami … led the team with a total 14 stops including one sack in the season finale at Virginia Tech … earned first letter.

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL
Played safety and wide receiver at Bayside High School for former head coach Darnell Moore and current head coach Jon White … named Tom Lemming’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year with fellow UVA recruit Andrew Brown … Parade All-America honorable mention … ESPN 300 recruit … Rivals.com’s No. 5 recruit … 247Sports.com’s No. 8 recruit … ESPN.com’s No. 10 recruit … ESPN.com’s No. 3 recruit in the Commonwealth of Virginia … No. 1 safety recruit in the nation according to ESPN.com, Rivals.com, Scout.com and 247Sports.com … rated a five-star recruit according to ESPN.com, Rivals.com, Scout.com and 247sports.com … Under Armour first-team All-American … MaxPreps.com second-team All-American … second-team USA Today All-USA … Beach District co-Defensive Player of the Year … Virginian-Pilot All-Tidewater first-team at safety … rarely thrown at on defense and had 118 tackles in 2013 … played four positions on offensive (QB, RB, TE, WR) as a senior and piled up 1,116 all-purpose yards … took part in Nike’s The Opening in Beaverton, Ore. during the summer of 2013 and 2012 … was one of three Class of 2014 recruits to take part in Nike’s The Opening in 2012 … appeared in the 2014 Under Armour All-America game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. … also played in the Chesapeake Bowl … made 111 tackles and five interceptions as a junior … son of Kevin Blanding and Cory Lee … father Kevin played football at NCAA Division II Glenville State (W.V.) for current Arizona football head coach Rich Rodriguez … has two older sisters, Jordan Lee and Myki Lee … sister Jordan Lee currently serves in the Navy aboard the USS Oscar Austin, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer … mother, Cory Lee, named him after the 1989 film titled “The Mighty Quinn”… has an affinity for colorful socks … major is sociology.