Older and much wiser, Sewell rejoins Cavs

CHARLOTTESVILLE It's not an official game. That won't come until Sept. 5, when the University of Virginia opens against William and Mary. Still, for Jameel Sewell, today's spring game will be an emotional release.

Every time the quarterback drives by Scott Stadium -- and he does so every day -- the former Hermitage High star looks down at the field and gets chills.

"So I don't know how I'm going to handle myself, being back inside that stadium or back inside that locker room, then being able to have people out there cheering for the team," Sewell said with a laugh. "I don't know how I'm going to handle that the first couple of plays."

Sewell, who'll be a fifth-year senior in the fall, hasn't played football in front of fans since Jan. 1, 2008. In the Gator Bowl, he made his 22nd consecutive start for the Cavaliers but suffered a knee injury early in the fourth quarter. Texas Tech rallied for a 31-28 victory.

That crushing defeat was followed, about two weeks later, by the news that Sewell, along with three other football players, had been suspended from U.Va. for poor grades. Sewell wasn't re-admitted to the university until the start of this semester, which meant he watched helplessly as the Cavaliers went 5-7 in 2008.

Peter Lalich began the season as Virginia's starting quarterback, but off-the-field issues soon led to his dismissal from the team. Marc Verica, who as a redshirt freshman in 2007 had not appeared in any games, ended up starting nine times in'08.

If he'd been eligible last year, Sewell believes, Virginia's record might well have been better.

"Not to take anything away from the team or away from Marc Verica, because he did a good job, but . . . experience is a big attribute when it comes to a quarterback," said Sewell, a 6-3, 225-pound left-hander who has passed for 3,518 yards and 17 touchdowns as a Cavalier.

"I do feel like things could have been different. We could have had a little bit more success at least. But things happen. There's really nothing that can be done. That's in the past. We're not dwelling on that. We're just trying to move forward and use that as a steppingstone."

Asked how the suspension affected him, Sewell, 21, said he's learned to take responsibility for his actions. He spent much of last year working as a tutor at Buford Middle School in Charlottesville. Buford's principal, Eric Johnson, is the father of former U.Va. football player Chris Johnson. Sewell also helped coach Charlottesville High's football team last season.

"I've grown a lot," he said. "I feel like I'm finally a man now."

In retrospect, Sewell said, his year away from U.Va. was "a good thing. I was able to do a lot of things that I wasn't able to do while I was playing football, maybe some things that I needed to do. Of course, you know, I'd rather have stayed here and played ball and went to school, but things didn't shake out that way because of the decisions that I made. And I learned from that. If you're going to make certain decisions, you've got to learn how to deal with it, and that's what I did."

It's hard to overstate how much Sewell missed football.

"My first practice and my first workout [back] . . . I just didn't want it to end, even though I knew it was going to happen again the next day," he said. "It's just a great feeling to be able to be back out here with my brothers and my coaches."

There's no guarantee he'll win his starting job back. Sewell has looked out of rhythm at times this spring, not surprisingly, and his competition includes not only Verica but also converted cornerback Vic Hall, who started against Virginia Tech last year. Sewell noted, though, that the Wahoos have a new offensive coordinator, Gregg Brandon, and new attack, the spread.

"It benefits me for the simple fact that I won't be behind the 8-ball with the offense," Sewell said. "It's like everybody's learning a new thing."

Contact Jeff White at (804) 649-6838 or .