Walking on staying home CHARLOTTESVILLE’S DEANDRE BRYANT wanted to play college football and he wanted a degree from a great school. It turns out he isn’t going to have to venture far to get both. With the big February signing day leaving him with some decisions to make, the last school he made contact with was the University of Virginia. February and March are ripe with opportunity for football players as schools scrammble to put together walkon offers for those still trying to find the right place. So when Bryant’s cell phone blew up with an unrecognized number, one with a 434 area code, well, it was a particularly good day. “I was grocery shopping one day and a random phone number came up and it was UVa asking me about being a preferred walk on,” Bryant said. “I talked to my mom and then got back in touch with them and made it official.” There are not many Central Virginia athletes that have been able to suit up for the Cavaliers. While Western Albemarle’s Osiris Crutchfield signed with UVa in February, the locals on the local university roster have been fairly few and far between. St. Anne’s-Belfield graduate (2003) Chris Long had a storied career for the Cavs, but other locals like Western Albemarle’s Bryan Lescanec (2003) and Orange County’s Quitin Hunter (2009) both wound up finishing up at James Madison after starting out with Virginia. With Bryant getting a “preferred walk on” tag, it means that he could potentially earn scholarship money in the future if he emerges as a contributor in some way. Think of it as a delayed signing. Regardless, Bryant can play as a freshman should incoming coach Bronco Mendenhall decide he needs the physically gifted two-way talent who can play at receiver and defensive back. But more than anything, what makes walking on at UVa special is an athlete who grew up as a fan getting a chance to play for that program. Bryant is moving on but yet staying at home and there’s something special about that. “It’s huge, the past five years we had season tickets,” Bryant said. “I remember telling my mom, ‘I want to be on that field one day.’ I don’t know if she thought I was serious, I don’t even know how serious I was when I said it. I did not expect this to happen.” We’ve seen others pull this off, Covenant’s Malik Frazier (2012) and STAB’s Jeff Jones walked on to the UVa basketball team. Now it’s Bryant’s turn to create a buzz, a feel good story for the Wahoos and the Black Knights. The walk on story in college football is as timeless and classic as a tale gets. Throw in the local connection and it only gets better. ✖
Above, Charlottesville’s DeAndre Bryant will try and turn his walkon deal into a scholarship at Virginia.
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