Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Junior offensive tackle Eddie Pinigis transferred to Liberty yesterday after deciding to leave the Virginia football program over the weekend. He entered the season first on the depth chart at right tackle, but redshirt freshman Will Barker recently overtook him.

"I feel like I'm a starter. I feel like I should be a starter up there," said Pinigis, who started five games last season. "The other day they came out with the depth chart, and they had me on the second team. I feel like I didn't do anything to lose my first-team spot. I played against some of the best defensive ends in the ACC. I felt like I proved myself with my game experience."

Pinigis will be reunited at Liberty with Danny Rocco , a former associate head coach at U-Va. who recruited Pinigis out of high school and was hired this offseason as Liberty's head coach.

"This is probably one of the hardest things I've had to do, just leaving my teammates like that," Pinigis said. "It's just something I had to do. I wasn't willing to stay there and be a backup or wait for somebody to get hurt so I could be a starter."

Since Liberty is a Division I-AA school, Pinigis is eligible to play this season.

"I would have loved to finish my career at U-Va. I had great teammates and coaches up here," Pinigis said. "It's just a blessing I could come down here. I've only been for a couple hours, and all my teammates have been great."

-- Adam Kilgore