CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — It took six weeks for Bronco Mendenhall’s first Virginia football team to learn how to properly warm up before a practice. That was the second sign that his rebuilding plan here might take longer than expected. The first sign came during his initial team meeting in January 2016 when players, slouched in their chairs and buried on their phones, rarely made eye contact with their new coach. There were other signs, too: a paltry budget, a shortage in staffing and facilities not nearly up to industry standards.
A few weeks into his new gig, Mendenhall realized just what he’d gotten himself into.