Virginia fans were far from universally on board with every decision new football coach Bronco Mendenhall made in his first year. But for all the complaints over withholding jersey numbers or the strange quarterback rotation against Virginia Tech, one move was applauded from all corners.
Hiring former East Carolina head coach Ruffin McNeill was impossible to criticize. It gave the Cavaliers a knowledgeable, highly respected member of the staff who was already great friends with some of the new Virginia assistants. McNeill was also someone with experience working in the Mid-Atlantic and recruiting connections that the crew moving over from BYU was racing to establish.
And as a bonus, he helped deliver quarterback Kurt Benkert, an ECU transfer.
So with McNeill off to Oklahoma, where he’ll be an assistant to new Sooners coach Lincoln Riley, how big of a hit will the Cavaliers take?
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