UVA’s Mike Hollins excited for what this season holds

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - The UVA Football Team will begin fall practice next week. Running back Mike Hollins will amazingly compete for the starting running back job.

The grad student continues his remarkable comeback story after being shot and injured in November’s tragedy on UVA Grounds.

“Without God I wouldn’t be here today. That’s as clear to me now as it ever has been,” Hollins said at a media event Friday, July 28.

Hollins played in Virginia’s spring game in April, just six months after suffering a bullet wound.

“I felt blessed in that moment, walking on the field. When I first touched the field and got to play, I just felt free,” he said.

That game was highlighted by Hollins scoring a touchdown, then paying tribute to three teammates - Lavel Davis, Jr., DeSean Perry, and Devin Chandler.

“That moment was special. It was a moment I thought I would never experience again,” Hollins said.

There was a lot of national media on hand for Friday’s event. No questions were allowed about the November shooting, including what might have led to it, because there the trial has yet to take place.

Hollins says his strength is back to 100%. He says wins and losses this season won’t define the legacy of those three teammates.

“We don’t have to go undefeated or win a championship to justify their legacy. Continuing to be a team is doing their legacy really well,” Hollins said. “I feel like we’ve all been through something traumatic and I made it out the other end.”

Hollins says he is excited for this season, adding, “We need football right now.”

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