Wes Brondos has committed to Tennessee.
The 5-foot-8, 181-pound Brondos will play for Tennessee’s rugby team. He is from James Wood High School in Winchester, Virginia.
James Wood football head coach Ryan Morgan discussed Brondos with Vols Wire.
“He is definitely a tough guy,” Morgan said. “He is shorter, but very powerful, which is why he was so successful for us as a running back. He ran for 1,129 yards and six touchdowns as a senior, his only year as a starter. He also caught a 69-yard touchdown pass in our playoff game. As a junior, he was behind a senior and we only had two games due to COVID-19, so he did not get a lot of opportunities until 2021.”
Brondos plays fly-half in rugby. His ability as a running back to break tackles transitions to a role of a fly-half receiving the ball from the scrum-half.
“We do not track broken or missed tackles, but he was probably first or second in the district in broken tackles this past fall,” Morgan said. “The only other guy who might have topped him is Stephen Daley, who is 6-foot-2, 239 pounds, and headed to Kent State to play outside linebacker and defensive end.
“Wes’ best play was probably when we ran a version of Iso/Zone Insert. He has great acceleration and could hide behind his blockers. By the time second and third level defenders found him, he was on top of them and he makes some really sharp cuts because he is built so low to the ground. Not only did he bounce off tacklers, but he also does a great job of running his feet and falling forward to gain extra yardage.”
Tennessee won the national championship in 2021, defeating Bowling Green, 36-31, in the 2021 Fall Division-I Collegiate Club Rugby Championship.
The win capped off an undefeated season for the Vols.
Tennessee (11-0) outscored its opponents, 373-127, and recorded three shutouts in 2021.
Tennessee’s 2021 rugby schedule
- Sept. 4 at Ohio State (W, 30-23)
- Sept. 5 at Cincinnati (W, 22-0)
- Sept. 18 at Kennesaw State (forfeit awarded to UT)
- Oct. 2 vs. Kentucky (W, 22-15)
- Oct. 16 vs. Clemson (W, 41-25)
- Oct. 22 at Alabama (W, 51-0)
- Oct. 30 at South Carolina (W, 45-0)
- Nov. 6 vs. Georgia (W, 67-7)
- Nov. 13 vs. Georgia (W, 33-9) *SCRC semifinal
- Nov. 20 vs. Clemson (W, 26-17) *SCRC championship
- Dec. 4 vs. Bowling Green (W, 36-31) *Division-I Collegiate Club Rugby Championship
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