John Paul Flores Brings Versatility and Experience to UVA's Offensive Line

The Dartmouth grad transfer will play "whatever they need me to play" on the Virginia offensive line

With starting experience in virtually every spot on the offensive line, Dartmouth grad transfer John Paul Flores brings valuable versatility to Garett Tujague's UVA offensive line unit :: Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

When asked if there was a particular spot on the offensive line in which he felt the most comfortable, John Paul Flores answered, "Not really, I mean, whatever they need me to play, I'll play. I'll get comfortable with it. I've been working right side and left side. I'm fine pressing off both sides; run-block, pass-block, whatever."

That's a rare and invaluable attribute for a college football lineman and will serve as an immense luxury for Virginia offensive line coach Garett Tujague as he works to develop the UVA O-Line during fall camp. With just one player with starting experience on the Virginia offensive line returning this season, Tujague has his work cut out for him. Having the services of Dartmouth grad transfer John Paul Flores will be a huge help. 

A two-year starter at Dartmouth, Flores was named to the All-Ivy League Second Team in 2021 as he helped the Big Green with a second-straight Ivy League Championship. Over the course of his career, Flores has logged time at virtually every position on the offensive line, giving him a level of versatility and experience that is unmatched on the UVA roster. As Tujague begins the process of determining the best starting five and the depth chart at the offensive line, being able to plug Flores in different spots has been critical. 

"They've had me play left guard, center, right tackle, but anywhere that the coaches think or need me to play, I'm happy to play it," Flores said after practice on Monday. "Just trying to help the team in anyway I can. There's a lot of moving pieces on the offensive line and we're trying to get better each and every day."

READ MORE: Virginia Football Fall Camp Observations - Week 1

His years of college football experience have also given Flores an elevated knowledge of the game, as he has faced most of the common defensive schemes and worked in offenses as they've implemented different blocking strategies against those defensive sets. 

"We didn't play because of the COVID year, but still having three years under my belt of college football," said Flores. "Our defense at Dartmouth ran Okie, they ran four-down, they ran bear. So, there's only so many different things a defense can do, different fronts."

The 6'4", 308-pound lineman has been on quite the journey throughout his career. Flores grew up in Arlington, Texas before spending the last four years in Hanover, New Hampshire playing at Dartmouth. The latest stop brought him to Charlottesville, Virginia, where a summer filled with football, football, and more football helped a great deal with the transition, as did a welcoming environment created by his new teammates. 

"It's been good. It's a lot of football," Flores said of the transition. "At least in the summer, I'm not taking classes so it's learning the playbook, coming in and trying to learn your teammates. Because the offensive line... you're one big family, one big unit. You've got to communicate, that's the biggest thing on the O-Line. Being able to bond with the guys and luckily I came in and they welcomed me with open arms and I was happy about that."

Most importantly, Flores has quickly developed a strong relationship with Garett Tujague. 

"He brings great energy, he's a veteran coach," Flores said of Tujague. "He know what he wants out of his players, how to get it out of his players, how to motivate his players. I've enjoyed it thus far."

Watch John Paul Flores' full post-practice comments in the following video:

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