Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall confirmed Monday that star cornerback Bryce Hall is done for the season after suffering an ankle injury in Friday night's loss to Miami. Hall suffered the injury while blocking on a punt return in the second quarter of the 17-9 loss.
"Bryce Hall is in good spirits," Mendenhall said. "We expect a good recovery, he sustained a left ankle injury and had surgery Monday. We do not expect him back this season. He is an amazing young person, I am thankful for his efforts and to be his coach. On the bus after the game, Bryce was sitting behind me and he said to me, 'Coach, I'm a human buoy.' He has been exemplary in everything he has done here."
The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, had his leg rolled up on during the punt return. Trainers rushed to his side to tend to him, covered up his ankle and placed it in an aircast. The announcers on ESPN's broadcast said that they would not be showing the injury after broadcasting on initial angle of the play. Virginia and Miami rushed to his side to wish him well, and Hall shook almost all of their hands before heading into the tunnel.
Hall is the unquestioned star of the Virginia secondary. He was a first-team All-ACC performer last year after notching two interceptions and tallying 62 tackles. He came back to Virginia instead of jumping to the NFL despite being regarded as one of the top draft-eligible cornerbacks last season. He is currently ranked No. 6 overall in the CBS Sports 2020 NFL Draft prospect rankings.
Virginia will host Duke on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET.
