Wilson brings veteran leadership to UVa’s O-line

Virginia’s offensive line has been retooled significantly since the end of the 2024 season. The Wahoos have brought in nine offensive linemen via the transfer portal to pair with the talent they already have on the roster. One position that would clearly need a new starter was center, which is a critical position for offensive line coach Terry Heffernan. 

“I was a former center, I put a lot on our center from a communication standpoint,” Heffernan explained recently. “And I tend to have a close relationship with those guys because they have to see the game with the same set of eyes that I see it.”

Enter Brady Wilson, who transferred to UVa from UAB in December. Wilson was a standout with the Blazers for several seasons, and graded out as one of the best centers in the country. In the spring, he took command at center and of the five spots on the O-line, Heffernan said that Wilson’s is the most solidified. 

Things between Brady and UVa just clicked

“In our first conversation talking to Brady, we talked about his wife, his life, where he came from,” Heffernan recalled. “And then you shift to football and you could just feel it click. 45 minutes later we’re talking about protections and adjustments. And he was excited to talk about it. Setting the table for the offense is a big part of the center’s role.

“Beyond that,” he added, “from a mental standpoint, this is a guy that’s been through a lot of ups and downs, he’s been through a ton of football. So just the mental toughness of knowing what it’s going to take every day to do the things we need him to do, he has that in spades. So it was a huge addition.”

For Wilson, coming to UVa was a relatively seamless transition, which shouldn’t be a surprise given how much football he has played in his career. 

“All the stuff is always the same with the offensive line; schematically it’s the same it’s just different calls, and what you do,” he explained. “It’s all based on how the quarterback likes it and how your school wants to block certain things.”

Position battles continue elsewhere on the O-line

While Wilson has his position all but locked down, the dust still has to settle on the position battles around him. Wilson said it’s been a good thing for him to have different line combinations on the field in camp, to prepare for any possible scenario in the fall. 

“It’s been huge; All the guys in the spring on the line, all of us have been new out there,” Wilson said. “There’s always new faces out there in the starting rotation. It’s a good balance and it keeps us rolling. Everyone’s able to adjust to whatever could happen in a game, obviously injuries happen. So that way, whatever happens we’ll always be prepared and no matter who comes in we’ll trust them and be ready to go.”

A common thread in came amongst the players is that the roster, full of new faces, has come together in large part because of the relationship building off the field. Wilson said that the line has grown together in the summer, which should help bolster chemistry in the fall. 

“I think the biggest thing was hanging out with one another outside of football. That’s how you gel the best. And the offensive line is a very easy gelling group; we’re all 300 pound guys that are very similar,” Wilson joked. “All of us have the same interests typically so we can gel pretty well with one another. Knowing that you can trust the other guy, and that builds that trust when we get out there in the pads and you know the other guy has your back.”

Wilson and UVa’s QB1

Another key factor in the growth of the offense will be the connection between Wilson and the quarterback he’ll be snapping the ball to. Both Wilson and starting quarterback Chandler Morris are older players who have played a lot of snaps at previous stops, and will look to help reshape the Virginia offense.

The work Wilson and Morris got together in the spring should help pay dividends now, and the hope is that having two veterans at key leadership positions on offense should be a big boost to the group. 

“When you have two older veteran guys that have played a lot of snaps, it really helps us. Now we can see defenses and we’re both on the same page,” Wilson said of Morris. “If he changes the protection I know where he’s going with it because I see the same thing. That’s part of the veteran mindset that we both have.”

“He’s a smart quarterback and he likes to get the ball out quick,” Wilson continued. “Seeing his timing and everything like that and how he reads defense, it’s really helped us It keeps us on our toes to make sure we’re on the right spots, knowing where he wants to be.”

Though there are still a lot of position battles that need to sort themselves out, UVa is benefiting by having a steady veteran presence like Wilson at center. And the guy that starts every play for this group has high hopes for what the offense can accomplish this season. 

“This offense can do anything it wants to,” Wilson said. “We have all the pieces we need and all it takes is going through training camp and building that identity.”