Green had to wait to make his UVa mark

When Jared Green hauled in his first career touchdown catch against Miami last Saturday, it’s a good bet that his father was more excited about it than was the young Virginia receiver.

Green’s father is Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrell Green, who starred at cornerback for the Washington Redskins for 20 years. Darrell Green has become a huge Virginia fan since Jared signed with the Cavaliers in 2007, but has become even more so since his son has gained playing time as a redshirt freshman this season.

So far, Jared Green has caught 12 passes for 244 yards and scored his first TD in a heartbreaking loss to the Hurricanes last weekend. Not bad for a first-year receiver who is a backup to starter Kevin Ogletree (although there is one package that has both in the lineup at the same time).

An understated son

When Jared hauled in quarterback Marc Verica’s scoring strike, he pointed skyward. Like many of his UVa teammates, Green is a man of faith, and so his celebrations are simple.

Darrell, on the other hand, was probably a little more whipped up about the play while watching from the stands in Scott Stadium.

“He was very proud, like any father would be,” Jared said Tuesday about his dad’s feelings on the score. “He was really excited. But at the same time, he was more excited about the other catches that I made.”

He caught three passes for 25 yards.

“My dad said that whatever I’ve been doing with the coaches here has molded me into a real receiver and not just a kid who is out there running,” Jared Green said. “The touchdown meant something to me, but we’re trying to win games, so I didn’t dwell on that. Winning is my real passion.”

The kid from Oakton High had grown up a Wahoo fan. Virginia was his favored school from his early high school days and he wanted to find a way to make it to Charlottesville.

Persistence pays off

He made contact for two years before any offer was forthcoming. He kept visiting at every opportunity, waiting for a chance.

“We were going to find a way to get there somehow,” Green said.

Finally, at the end of his senior year, Virginia offered.

That was only the first step. Green had caught only 17 passes for 245 yards and four TDs as a senior, so he was a bit raw when he arrived. Coach Al Groh could see the potential.

“We knew his coach [Joe Thompson] well and he told us a lot about Jared,” Groh said. “We went up and watched practices, where we had a chance to see him catch the ball much more than in games. We had the confidence that with work, he would develop into a good receiver and he’s clearly progressing along that line.”

Groh estimated that Green would probably end the season with 15 to 20 receptions, which isn’t bad for a rookie backup, but noted that his best days lie ahead.

“Now next year we’ll see where that goes and then after that he’ll be in that fourth- and fifth-year frame and ready to go,” the coach said.

Green knows he was a bit green when he arrived at UVa.

“I feel like everything since I got here last year has been a work in progress,” he admitted. “If anybody ever asked you about me before I got here, they would say I was a raw guy.”

Yes, but a raw guy with a lot of potential.

“When Jared first got here he was a real small guy,” critiqued Ogletree. “Not in a bad way. He was skinny. His frame was real small, but he was fast. You could tell he could run and people were nicknaming him things like ‘the deer’ because he just glided.”

However, as Ogletree further explained, Green had some things to learn.

No one doubted that he would catch on quickly and maximize his abilities because of his heritage. His father, Darrell, was not only fast, but great at everything he did in football, so the work ethic was never an issue for Jared. It was what he refers to as “the Green way.”

Jared said that Coach Groh told him to make his strengths stronger and not worry about the weaknesses. That’s what he has done as he has matured into a reliable receiving threat that has the speed to stretch defenses.

We don’t know his speed, but we can assume the 6-foot-2, 178-pounder is very fast.

There was even a story going around that after all these years that Jared had beaten his dad for the first time this summer — a rumor that Jared denied.

“We haven’t raced,” Jared chuckled. “I claim that I can [beat his dad]. I probably beat him up the stairs a couple of times ... he’s getting older, so you gotta watch that back.”

Groh said that’s a race he’d like to see.

“You know, Darrell was the fastest man in football for at least 10 years,” Groh said. “So, you can be pretty fast and still not be faster than him. I’m sure his father would still be interested in participating in [such a race], that is knowing his father.”

While Jared and Darrell are very close, their relationship is much more father and son related than coach and player. Darrell did help him prepare this past summer when they got together with then-Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell, along with receiver Antwaan Randle El for some workouts.

“[Darrell] would do a little bump-and-run on me just to prepare me for this year,” Jared said about his dad covering him in the drills.

That’s the least dad could do after Jared served as Darrell’s presenter at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Canton in July.

“It’s hard going up against your old man,” Jared laughed, but in a respectful way. “You don’t want to step on his toe or hit him in the head. He actually taught me more about the game than the actual physical part of it.”

His father isn’t exclusive to Jared, though. Being a big Wahoo fan, he talks to several of the players, particularly the defensive backs, not from a coaching standpoint but rather as a confidence builder.

Verica believes Green has improved dramatically since he first hit campus.

“He can run all day with anybody and he’s a very hungry guy who is eager to get better,” Verica said. “He has improved tremendously over the past couple of weeks. I’m proud of him and what he’s accomplished and he’s going to get better every week.”

If that’s the case, then Green may surpass Groh’s estimates faster than anyone would have thought.

Faster is something that comes naturally to the Greens, and that’s a good thing for Virginia.