Heir apparent? Mack gets chance

After his memorable career at Virginia was complete, running back Cedric Peerman made a bold prediction.
Peerman said Torrey Mack would eventually carry the torch at the position that has produced numerous NFL standouts including Tiki Barber, Thomas Jones and Terry Kirby.
“I think he has a very promising future,” said Peerman, who will learn his professional employer this weekend with the NFL Draft.
“Torrey is really a shifty guy. He has a lot of speed. He has really made good strides this year. He has been one of the guys that impressed a lot of the guys on the team.”
The reason for the high praise was on display Saturday during Virginia’s annual spring festival as Mack rushed six times for 18 yards and hauled in a pair of passes for 12 yards.
Hearing after the game that Peerman delivered the highest praise for Mack, the redshirt freshman offered a grin.
“That makes me feel real good because I look up to Cedric as a role model,” said Mack, who was a SuperPrep All-American at Stratford High in Connecticut. “That’s real good praise coming from him. We all saw what he could do.”
Mack joins a crowded backfield that includes apparent starter senior Mikell Simpson and sophomore tailback Max Milien, as well as veteran fullbacks Rashawn Jackson and Keith Payne.
It was during his time last fall that Mack said he witnessed how to play at the highest level of college football.
Every step that Peerman took and every hit that was leveled on a defender caught the rookie’s attention.
“I learned how to make one cut and just go,” Mack said. “I learned how he carried the ball — high and tight.
“I learned a lot of stuff about defenses and when to cut back.”
Peerman said Mack would be a guy that could avoid taking a pounding by avoiding contact all together.
Mack agreed.
“When there is no grass around you have to lower you shoulders a little bit, but if I don’t have to take a hit … well, I just take as few hits at possible and I just try to go.”
Having been away from the program for a year, quarterback Jameel Sewell watched Mack in person this spring for the first time.
The senior was blown away with Mack’s skill set.
“When he definitely knows what he has to do, he makes plays,” Sewell said. “Heck, even when the quarterback busts the play, he makes something happen. He finds a way to squirt through there and find a hole.
“A lot of people think he is undersized or underweight, but he is still running like he has a lot of weight.”
Mack, a four-star recruit, rushed for almost 1,200 yards on just 86 carries as a senior in high school. He also scored 20 touchdowns.
For now, Mack is happy with his decision to play at Virginia.
There was a period when Mack was uncertain if he would be also to say that with such conviction.
“When I came in I knew it was a powerhouse running game and when [new offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon] changed it to the spread offense I said, ‘Oh, we probably won’t get the ball as much,’” Mack proclaimed. “But I like how they mix it up and move us around from the backfield to the slot.
“We are still getting a lot of touches on the ball but just from different positions. It is a lot of fun.”