Kurt Benkert

NOTABLE
Leaves UVA as the single-season program leader in passing yards (3,207), completions (298), attempts (509), 200+-yard passing games (9, T1st) and total offense (3,144), all of which was done in 2017 … also holds UVA records for single-game passing (455, vs. UConn) and single-game total offense (465, vs. UConn), both of which happened in 2017 … he is also tied for first in program history with three career passes of 80 yards or more … also holds UVA career record for completions per game (21.91), passing touchdowns per career game (1.92) and the fewest career interceptions per pass (0.0218) … No. 3 all-time in the UVA record book with 5,759 career passing yards and 46 career passing touchdowns … invited to play in the 2018 Senior Bowl.

AT VIRGINIA
2017 – Started all 13 of UVA’s games … is the first player in UVA history to throw for at least 3,000 yards in a season … tied his 2016 season and Matt Schaub (2003) for being the quickest quarterback to 2,000 passing yards in a season, doing so in eight games … completed 27-of-39 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns in season-opening win against William & Mary … broke the UVA record with 66 pass attempts against Indiana … completed 39 passes against the Hoosiers, which is tied with Matt Schaub (FSU, 2003) four fourth-most completions in a single game in UVA history … threw for 259 yards and one score against Indiana 421 against Central Michigan in 2016 … completed 30-of-40 passing and three touchdowns against the Huskies … his 465 yards of total offense was also a single-game school record … for the second time he set the UVA single-game passing record with 455 passing yards against UConn, breaking his previous record of 421 … was named ACC Offesnive Back of the Week on Sept. 25 after throwing for 273 yards and three touchdowns in a road win at Boise State … was 24-of-43 for 182 yards and three touchdowns in UVA’s home win against Duke … also rushed five times for 17 yards … was 19-of-31 for 249 yards and two touchdowns … found Olamide Zaccheaus for an 81-yard touchdown, which was the fourth-longest one-play scoring drive in program history … was 22-of-42 for 212 yards and two touchdowns at Pitt … was 21-of-41 passing for 260 yards and three touchdowns against Georgia Tech … against the Yellow Jackets he tossed the 27-yard game-winning touchdown to Andre Levrone with 1:22 left to play in a steady rain … was 19-of-36 for 214 yards and a touchdown at Louisville … was 28-of-37 passing for 384 yards and four touchdowns at No. 2 Miami … his 75-yard touchdown to Joe Reed, four overall touchdowns and 384 passing yards were all season hights against Miami … threw for 186 yards against Virginia Tech, passing Matt Schaub’s 2002 UVA single-season passing record of 2,976 yards. 2016 – Tied Matt Schaub (2003) for being the quickest quarterback to 2,000 passing yards in a season, doing so in eight games … set the UVA record for passing yards in a game with 421 against Central Michigan … his five passing touchdowns against Central Michigan are tied with four other Cavaliers for second-most all-time for a game in program history … holds UVA record for most passing yards through career starts 4-10 … first Cavalier quarterback to amass at least 1,000 passing yards in his first four career starts … started 10 of UVA’s 12 games … did not play at Georgia Tech … saw time against Virginia Tech off the bench … led UVA with 2,552 passing yards, which ranks No. 6 all-time on UVA’s single-season passing list … his 21 passing touchdowns rank in a three-way tie with Shawn Moore (1990) and Bobby Goodman (1992) for second-most in a season by a UVA quarterback … made UVA debut against Richmond … was 26-of-34 for 264 yards and three touchdowns against Richmond … his three touchdowns and 26 completions tied Mike Groh for most in UVA history by a quarterback making his first career start … was 20-of-39 for 193 yards and two interceptions at then-No. 24 Oregon … was 23-of-42 with 241 passing yards at UConn … set a UVA passing record for a game with 421 yards against Central Michigan … also matched the second-best game output in program history with five touchdowns against Central Michigan … completed 27-of-43 passes against CMU … was 23-of-41 for 336 yards and three touchdowns against Duke … was 20-of-44 passing for 278 yards and one touchdown against Pitt … found Olamide Zaccheaus on a 74-yard scoring strike in the first quarter … was 19-of-32 for 126 yards against then-No. 22 North Carolina … finished 25-of-39 for 238 passing yards and three touchdowns in a near upset of then-No. 5 Louisville … found Doni Dowling on a four-yard scoring strike with 1:57 left against the Cardinals and then connected with Albert Reid for the two-point conversion to give UVA a 25-24 lead … was 20-of-39 for 190 passing yards and two touchdowns at Wake Forest … was 16-of-27 for 143 yards and one touchdown against Miami.

PREVIOUS SCHOOL
Is a 2016 graduate of East Carolina where he played for head coach Ruffin McNeil … was tabbed the starting quarterback at ECU heading into the 2015 season before suffering a knee injury during fall camp on Aug. 25, 2015 … missed the entire 2015 season … appeared in three games during the 2014 season … saw time against North Carolina Central, North Carolina and Florida as a reserve … completed 8-of-10 passes for 58 yards and rushed five times for 23 yeards … scored two rushing touchdowns and led three scoring drives in five overall (complete) series for the Pirates … redshirted the 2013 season.

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL
Topped all Southwest Florida quarterbacks in passing yards with 2,261 as a senior at Island Coast High School … completed 147-of-236 passes (62.3 percent), which included 20 touchdown tosses and just four interceptions to help the Gators to an 8-3 overall record and 5-1 6A District 11 mark (co-champions with South Fort Myers) … on the ground, rushed for 300 yards on 80 carries … ICHS advanced to the Florida High School Athletic Association 6A playoffs, but fell to eventual final-four participant Naples in the first round … earned third-team 6A All-State honors from the Associated Press while also picking up first-team All-Area recognition from the Fort Myers News-Press … transferred into head coach Joe Bowen’s program as a senior (from Cape Coral High School) after the Gators changed their offensive scheme from the veer to a pro-style attack, and followed by averaging 34.4 points per game in 2012 … selected as the News-Press Player-of-the-Week (Oct. 12) after leading ICHS to a 55-0 victory over Bishop Verot … was listed 33rd on the Orlando Sentinel’s MidWest Florida Super 60 list heading into his senior campaign … helped lead CCHS to a 7-5 record (5-0 in league play) as a junior, completing 189-of-367 passes for 2,771 yards, 25 TDs and seven interceptions … additionally, rushed 55 times for 150 yards and three touchdowns for coach Brad Metheny … also served as the Seahawks’ punter, averaging 37.7 yards per boot with a long of 56 yards and 11 downed inside the 20-yard line … named to the News-Press All-Area first team unit as a punter in 2011 … an Honor Roll performer in the classroom … born in Baltimore, Md. … moved to Florida before entering third grade and remained there until the start of eighth grade … returned to Maryland and helped lead Perry Hall to the state recreational football title and subsequently earned a scholarship to Loyola Blakefield (Towson) before moving back to Florida after two junior varsity seasons … quarterbacked the Fort Myers (Fla.) Firecats to a state championship and third-place finish in the national Pop Warner playoffs while in seventh grade.