UVA Football | Hoos Heading Into Home Stretch

SPECIAL GUEST: At the end of practice last Thursday, UVA players gathered in front of Elliott, who told them, “I’ve got a treat for you guys.” And with that he introduced Zac Yarbrough, a three-year starter at center for the Cavaliers in the early 2000s.

Elliott’s assistants include two of Yarbrough’s former teammates, Marques Hagans and Clint Sintim, and, like the current Cavaliers, they listened closely as Yarbrough shared his story.

In July 2019, Yarbrough was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. He had a radical mastectomy later that year and has endured chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Yarbrough, who lives near Jacksonville, Fla., talked to the team about his medical struggles and about his experience at UVA.

Two days later, during the Miami game, Yarbrough was recognized at Scott Stadium and received a warm ovation from the crowd.

“It’s kind of cool to see things come full circle,” Sintim said after practice Tuesday. “A guy who I played with comes back and speaks to these guys about what it means to be here. It kind of just validates what Coach is talking about and how special this place is.

“They hear it from me, they hear it from Marques, they hear it from [assistant coach Chris] Slade, but to hear it from guys they don’t necessarily know kind of re-affirms that. There’s a lot of power in what he said.”

Yarbrough, who grew up in Winter Park, Fla., spent a postgraduate year at Fork Union Military Academy before enrolling at UVA, where he redshirted his first season. He snapped on field goals and extra points in 2001 and took over as the starting center in 2002. In 2004, when Yarbrough made the All-ACC second team, Hagans was the Cavaliers’ starting quarterback.

Sintim arrived at UVA in 2004 and redshirted that season. Yarbrough was one of head coach Al Groh’s graduate assistants in 2005.

“I told Zac that as a young guy I appreciated him, just because of the way he carried himself,” said Sintim, who coaches the Cavaliers’…