Wahoo Central Podcast

Former Cavalier defensive end Chico Bennett, who earned two degrees at the University, is back on Grounds. He's director of NIL business development and athlete services for UVA Athletics.

Former UVA tailback Perris Jones, who's pursuing a doctorate at the University of Louisville, has written a memoir that will be published in August. It's titled Ashes to Endzone: The Fight for Identity, Faith and a Future Bigger Than the Game.

Justin Speros, who's in his fifth year on head football coach Tony Elliott's staff at UVA, is the program's general manager.

Bowen Sargent is in his 22nd year as head coach of the UVA men's golf team, which has won back-to-back ACC titles and is looking to improve on its runner-up finish at last year's NCAA Championships.

Drake Metcalf started all 13 games on the Cavaliers' offensive line in 2025, and he's hard at work preparing for his final college season. Metcalf, who has a bachelor's degree from Stanford, will earn a master's this year from UVA's Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.

In AJ Gracia, UVA's baseball team has one of the nation's top outfielders. Gracia, a junior from Monroe, N.J., is one of the players who followed head coach Chris Pollard from Duke to UVA last summer.  

One of the most versatile running backs in UVA history, Alvin Pearman was also a serious student. After his NFL career ended, he earned a master's and Ph.D. at Vanderbilt, and he's now an assistant professor at Stanford.

Four games into his UVA career, graduate transfer Jacari White is already a fan favorite at John Paul Jones Arena. The 6-foot-3 White, who starred at North Dakota State, is averaging 9.5 points per game and shooting 40.9 percent from 3-point range.

One of the top young tennis players in the world, UVA sophomore Rafael Jodar has won three ATP Pro Challenger tournaments this year. Jodar, who's from Madrid, Spain, was named the ITA National Rookie of the Year as a Virginia freshman in 2024-25.

Former UVA running back Mike Hollins, who survived the November 2022 shooting that took the lives of three teammates, continues to inspire with his indomitable spirit. He's working with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and coaching football at the Covenant School in Charlottesville.

In Steve Swanson's first 25 seasons as its head coach, UVA women's soccer advanced to the NCAA tournament 24 times. The No. 7 Hoos are locks to return to the NCAAs this fall, and Swanson's next win will be his 500th in 36 seasons overall as a head coach.

With a 6-1 record, UVA football is off to its best start in since 2007. Tailback Mikell Simpson, who's back in his hometown of Harrisburg, Pa., was one of the many standouts on the '07 team, which won nine games and played in the Gator Bowl.

Perseverance has marked the college career of UVA tight end Sage Ennis, who's bounced back from two serious knee injuries. Ennis, who left Clemson with two degrees, in its his second year at Virginia, where he's tied for the team lead with three touchdown catches this season. 

Now in his second full season as UVA's head field hockey coach, Ole Keusgen has held several positions in the program since 2015. His record as the Wahoos' leader is 26-7, and his current team is 8-0 overall and ranked No. 2 nationally.

Shannon Wells in her fifth year as head volleyball coach at UVA, which opens ACC play this weekend with two matches at John Paul Jones Arena. 

A fourth-year student in the McIntire School of Commerce, Umberto Pelà is his second year as one of the UVA men's soccer team's captains.

Almost from the day she arrived on Grounds in 2020, Laney Rouse has been a defensive pillar for the Virginia women's soccer team. Now pursuing a master's degree in the UVA School of Medicine, Laney has helped the Hoos get off to a strong start this season.

Joanna Hardin is heading into her 10th season as head softball coach at the University of Virginia, which will host the ACC tournament at Palmer Park in May.

One of the greatest quarterbacks in UVA history, Matt Schaub played in the NFL for 17 years before retiring. He's now part of the announcing team for radio broadcasts of Cavalier football games.

A third-team All-ACC selection, shortstop Eric Becker led Virginia in hitting (.368) and RBIs (52) in 2025, and his decision to remain a Cavalier was great news for new head coach Chris Pollard.

The greatest kick-returner in UVA history, Joe Reed played for the NFL's Chargers in 2020. He's now back in the Charlottesville area—working, coaching and pursuing an MBA.

A rising sophomore at UVA, Leah Hayes won five gold medals for the United States swim team at the recent World University Games in Berlin. Hayes, who's from Sugar Grove, Ill., helped the Virginia women's team win its fifth consecutive NCAA title in 2024-25.

After missing last season while recovering from an injury, guard Jillian Brown is healthy again and eager to help the Hoos in 2025-26. Brown, who began her college career at Northwestern, is from Grand Rapids, Mich.

Of the seven new transfers in Ryan Odom's program, graduate student Malik Thomas arrived on Grounds with perhaps the impressive credentials. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 19.9 ppg for San Francisco in 2024-25 and made the All-WCC first team.

A 6-foot-7 forward from Los Angeles, graduate student Devin Tillis transferred to UVA from UC Irvine this spring. He was named to the All-Big West second team in 2024-25.

One of the many newcomers on head coach Ryan Odom's first team at UVA, Dallin Hall is a 6-foot-4 guard from Plain City, Utah. He spent three seasons at BYU before transferring to Virginia after the 2024-25 school year.

The top returning wideout on the UVA football team, Trell Harris caught 15 passes for 221 yards and two TDs in 2024 despite missing most of the season with an injury. Harris began his college career at Kent State.

He left his hometown of Jackonsville, Fla., and arrived on Grounds in January 2019. Six-plus years later, safety Antonio Clary is preparing for his final season on the UVA football team.

In her fourth year at UVA, head women's basketball coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton has a roster that includes eight newcomers, seven of them transfers.

A cognitive science major, Kelly Ayer is graduating this weekend, but she won't be at Final Exercises on Grounds. She'll be in Columbia, S.C., for an NCAA softball regional. Ayer starts in center field for UVA, which is seeded No. 2 in the Columbia regional.

Ryan Odom is back in the college town where he lived for seven years as a boy, this time as head men's basketball coach at UVA. With show host Jeff White, Odom discusses his first seven weeks on the job.

A rising senior from Chattanooga, Tenn., linebacker Trey McDonald recently was awarded the prestigious T. Rodney Crowley Jr. Memorial Scholarship. McDonald is a student in UVA's McIntire School of Commerce.

A graduate student from Trieste, Italy, Sara Ziodato is in her fourth year at UVA, where she's become one of the top players in college tennis. She's pursuing a master's degree in commerce.

Only the second head coach in the history of UVA's rowing program, Wesley Ng is in his first year on Grounds. He came to Virginia after leading the program at the University of Pennsylvania for eight seasons.

From her first year on Grounds, Amanda Sambach has starred for the UVA women's golf team. Now a senior, she's looking to add an exclamation point to her illustrious college career in the ACC and NCAA championships this spring.  

A native of Zurich, Switzerland, Dylan Dietrich was ACC Freshman of the Year for 2023-24, and he's continued to shine for the UVA men's tennis team as a sophomore.

The ACC Freshman of the Year in 2022, UVA goalkeeper Matthew Nunes is nearing the end of his distinguished college lacrosse career. With 603 career saves, Nunes ranks No. 2 all-time at Virginia, behind only Tillman Johnson (700).

After graduating from Harvard last spring, tight end Tyler Neville, who grew up in Williamsburg, returned to his home state and transferred to UVA. Neville put up strong numbers for the Cavaliers last season—37 catches for 394 yards and two TDs—and hopes to make an NFL roster this year.

A junior from South Africa, Aimee Canny is a two-time Olympian and one of the many stars on the UVA women's swimming & diving team, which is seeking its fifth consecutive NCAA title.

This marks the fifth consecutive season that UVA's baseball roster has included at least one Teel. First came Kyle, now a rising star in the White Sox organization, and then his brother, Aidan, who's starting in center field for Virginia this year.

One of the United States' most promising young golfers, Ben James is in his third year at the University of Virginia, where he's twice been named a first-team All-American.

In his third year on head coach Tony Elliott's staff at Virginia, Terry Heffernan oversees an offensive line that since the end of last season has added four transfers who have 101 college starts among them.

Coming off a season that ended with the second NCAA tournament appearance in program history, the UVA softball team is looking to reach new heights this spring. The Cavaliers' leaders include senior Sarah Coon, who has started 153 games for head coach Joanna Hardin.

In Episode 395, UVA football's director of recruiting, Justin Speros, joins to show to discuss the class of transfers that joined the program this month. 

Olivia McGhee, who's from nearby Louisa County, attended basketball games at John Paul Jones Arena as a girl. She now plays there. The 6-foot-2 sophomore is the third-leading scorer (9.7) for the UVA women's team.

UVA women's tennis players Elaine Chervinsky and Melodie Collard capped the fall season by winning the first NCAA doubles title in program history. Their goal this spring is to help the Cavaliers contend for the NCAA team championship.

A third-year student from Colorado, Emma Weber was among the UVA contingent on the United States swim team last summer at the Olympic Games in Paris, where she won a gold medal, and she competed last month at the World Aquatics 25m Championships in Hungary.

Former UVA standout Steve Garland is in his 19th season as head wrestling coach at his alma mater, and his current team is off to a strong start. Garland breaks down his lineup and looks ahead to Virginia's ACC schedule.

One of the greatest tennis players in UVA history, Brian Vahaly recently was elected chairman and president of the United States Tennis Association's board of directors. Vahaly, who played professionally for seven years, graduated from UVA's McIntire School of Commerce.