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Before Sunday's win against Boston College at the John Paul Jones Arena, Virginia's sports programs didn't have much to shout about in 2008. They started the New Year with bowl season's most horrific collapse, watched their best offensive lineman declare for the draft, saw four players not enrolled in spring classes and lost the defensive coordinator to a 1-AA school. To top it off, the basketball team got waxed by Xavier and Duke, thereafter dropping their first home game to Virginia Tech in over four decades. Well, there's always lacrosse.

But even the win against the ACC-leading Eagles proved ominous, as Jameel Sewell, UVA's starting QB currently AWOL from classes, had courtside seats. Obviously, speculation has already begun in regards to what Sewell's future holds, not just at UVA, but in general. He's stated that he has no intention of declaring for the supplemental draft, wise considering that he's nowhere near the level of Dave Brown and Steve Walsh in terms of quarterbacking or Ahmad Brooks (the last Virginia player drafted in the DS) in terms of raw talent.

And while the most likely scenario finds Sewell transferring in the same manner that UVA's most recent academically troubled and erratic-armed QB did (Bryson Spinner), he left open the possibility that with a year of strong performance in the classroom, he might see Scott Stadium again in 2009. It's not beyond reason; Ottawa Anderson took a year off to sort out his admittedly foul-looking personal problems before returning two years later to make minor contributions as a wide receiver. But is it in Sewell's best interest? Or even Virginia's? It's abundantly clear that Virginia's only real option is to roll the dice with Peter Lalich at QB, even if the sophomore doesn't have any real backup in case he doesn't progress; the best options is the seriously untested Marc Verica or even current CB Vic Hall, who broke all kinds of records as a QB in high school. Were Sewell to return in '09, it would give Virginia its first truly capable backup in years, but by then, the offense stands to be markedly different than the one Sewell worked in during the last two seasons. Lalich is more of an NFL-type of quarterback and it's unlikely that Mike Groh will work the same TE/RB-only passing game ... not if he wants to win, mind you.