In early May, Virginia landed Alabama transfer Phillip Sims. The offshoot of that? The move apparently cost the Hoos their most experienced quarterback.
Douglas Doughty of the Roanoke Times is reporting that Michael Rocco has asked for and been granted a release from his UVa scholarship. Rocco reportedly met with head coach Mike London Friday and the decision to part ways was described as amicable.
As Rocco is a true junior and yet to use his redshirt, he’d be able to transfer to an FBS program and, after redshirting during a transfer season in 2013, would have one final year of eligibility in 2014.
The school has yet to address Rocco’s status for 2013.
Rocco started eight games this season, with Sims starting the other four. He started a total of 21 games the past two seasons and will end his Cavaliers career as a top-ten passer in a handful of statistical categories.
While Rocco started more games than Sims, the quarterbacking duo each played in all 12 games as UVa’s coaching staff rotated the players on a weekly basis, sometimes series-by-series, for the latter half of the season.