Changing Duties for UVA Football Coaches for Fenway Bowl

Five members of the Virginia coaching staff will have different responsibilities than usual for UVA’s bowl game against SMU

In addition to this being Bronco Mendenhall’s final game as head coach of the Virginia football program, the Fenway Bowl on December 29th will be an unusual game for several members of his coaching staff. These coaches’ futures with Virginia remain uncertain, and, while they focus on trying to win what could be their final game with the Cavaliers, several of these coaches have also been tasked with new roles and responsibilities for the game.

With both Robert Anae and Ricky Brumfield not coaching in the bowl game, there are a number of duties that have to be assumed by other members of the coaching staff.

Anae was the offensive coordinator and primary play-caller as well as the inside receivers and tight ends coach. In his place, quarterbacks coach Jason Beck, who had a significant hand in the impressive development of Kurt Benkert, Bryce Perkins, and Brennan Armstrong, will take over as acting offensive coordinator and play-caller for the bowl game as confirmed by Bronco Mendenhall on Wednesday.

Additionally, Matt Edwards, who has been on the UVA football staff for five seasons and who currently serves as senior analyst and director of football analytics, will coach tight ends and inside receivers before and during the bowl game.

Ricky Brumfield was the special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach, but he will not be coaching in the Fenway Bowl either.

Drew Meyer, a football analyst on special teams who has been with the program for five years, will have an increased role in the coordinating of Virginia’s special teams unit. Safeties coach Shane Hunter will also help out on special teams as the lead coach for the coverage unit on special teams. Kelly Poppinga, Virginia’s co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, will be the lead coach for the return unit on special teams for the bowl game.

Tony Elliott has yet to make final decisions regarding most of the positions on his new Virginia football coaching staff and it is expected that he will not be making those decisions until after the bowl game. It is possible that he is giving any number of the members of Bronco Mendenhall’s coaching staff a chance to be evaluated based on what Elliott sees from them during the team’s preparations for the Fenway Bowl against SMU on December 29th. 

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