The Charlottesville Black Knights are coming off a forgettable one-win season. With camp underway, it's unlikely anyone is relishing the new beginning as much as they are. Junior running back Chris Thurston says, "we forget everything about the past. This is a new season, new start, new players, and we'll go hard this year."

They haven't forgotten everything, though. Second year head coach Eric Sherry says their familiarity with even the format of training has made it easier to accomplish the work that needs to be done.

"Their football IQ has changed incredibly," Sherry said. "We'd talk last year about just lining up and getting in a stance, or just talking football Xs
and Os. They're miles apart from where they used to be."

Sherry adds, "it's totally different, when the kids come running out, they know where to warm up the know where to calisthenics, they know exactly what we're going to talk about. But the bigger thing is you go
through the individual and the group periods. They understand what
we're talking about. The language isn't so foreign to them."

After such a tough season, Sherry says one of his goals for his team is for them to turn the corner and become a winning program again. To do that, he says his kids will really have to buy into his system, which they should be much more comfortable with now that it's going into its second year.

"The system really fits our team this year because we have a nice fast
Team, so what we're doing is going to be good," says senior quarterback Rashard Davis. His teammate, senior wide receiver Darius Watson adds, "His offense is working as long as we're organized with it and just run it right."

The players sound like they're buying into the system, and Sherry
says it's not just talk. He says he's noticed they're dedication since
The end of last season. "The commitment of the kids I think has been a big thing in the off-season," he said. "Now they've had a full off-season with us, and you could see the numbers increase in the weight room and during 7-on-7s."

Watson also feels this team is more dedicated. "I believe when you're more comfortable with someone, you work harder for them and you just trust what they're trying to teach you. With us coming back with that, I think we can pull out some wins."