Leading his team in tackles, and second in the ACC in tackles, Safety Quin Blanding has been nothing less then stellar this season. From his performance on the field you would not be able to tell he is a true freshman. If you ever watched UVA defense there are very few plays that you don’t see number 3 looming around the football. He shows no signs of fear, he is relentless when he laces up those cleats every Saturday.
Lets be honest from the family line that Blanding comes from can we say that his performance is really surprising? Some said the best running back ever in the Hampton Roads area was his Father Kevin Blanding. Then there is Blanding’s half brother Kevin Simmons who was an all-region running back in the Tidewater area. I could go deeper into the bloodline and tell you accolades that the family has but we might be here all day. Play at a high level on the field is an expectation and I truly believe Blanding has met this expectation so far if not exceeded it.
What is Blanding like off the field? I’ve had many personal encounters with Blanding over the years and I would say he is a calm and humble young man, I have heard some say he is rude, somewhat obnoxious, but I will be the first to say I have never seen such characteristics from Blanding over the years, so I would take those reports with a grain of salt. Any aggression I have ever witnessed from Blanding was when he was on the field and that is exactly where it belongs.
Blanding’s contributions so far this season have been highly appreciated from everyone affiliated with the University of Virginia football program. With the season we shall see how Blanding shall finish the season, personally I don’t expect a drop off, and nonetheless we all know we have seen top athletes disappear at random times during the season. Quin has set high expectations for himself for the rest of his years at Virginia, we shall all see if he will live up to it.
