Billy Koudelka: Virginia Football’s Unsung Workhorse

In high school, Billy Koudelka was a talented multi-sport athlete, specifically showing promise in football and lacrosse. He received various D-1 offers for lacrosse, leading him to commit to Jacksonville University as an attackman. However, as he headed into his senior fall, Koudelka had a change of heart. 

"I had a really awesome experience at my high school fall camp," said Billy Koudelka. "I went to boarding school, so we had a two-week fall camp. All my best friends were just there for two weeks, living in the dorms, going to practice every day. Kind of really fell in love with the sport [football] again and decided that I should reach out to some coaches."

Despite choosing football, Kodelka has cited his experience on the lacrosse field as impacting his talent as a defensive end. 

"I played attack, and one of the things my dad would yell at me about is, I got to keep my feet moving," said Koudelka. "I think a lot of it can translate to the pass rush. It's like, just stop your feet. You're kind of dead…So I think that's been very transferable. A lot of the hip movements and ankle flexes have also translated a lot."

After selecting the gridiron, Koudelka began his recruiting journey, setting up multiple visits while having Virginia as his no. 1 choice. Koudelka asked friend Eli Wood, who was already on the team, to help put in a word before announcing his commitment soon after. 

Arriving on grounds, Koudelka was hard to miss, standing at 6'8 and constantly wanting to work and prove himself as a walk-on. 

"There's not a young man that's worked harder," said Defensive Coordinator John Rudzinski about Koudelka during his first year at UVa. "He wasn't defined by being a walk-on. What he did is he came and he worked and said, hey, you know what? It doesn't matter if you're a scholarship guy, you've been here like Kam Butler for seven years in college football, I'm gonna go compete and I'm gonna go win, and it's that competitive spirit that fires you up, and it excites you, and it makes him a great teammate, and it makes him a great part of this program." 

In his first season, Koudelka recorded a forced fumble and sack against SMU while also recording four total tackles, including one in the season opener against Richmond. 

Koudelka has continued to improve in spring football, learning from transfers Fisher Camac, Mitchell Melton, and Cazeem Moore. 

"I think it's been really interesting to watch all of them play and kind of see what works for them and what I can maybe kind of pick their brains about to use to put into my skill set so it's been great," said Koudelka. 

Headed into this weekend's spring game, Koudelka expressed excitement when asked about how he's approaching the spring game.

"Anytime you get to put the pads on, go to Scott Stadium. It's a special day, and I think it's a day we're all gonna look forward to being able to put the actual game judges on and get ready to go in front of some fans and family," said Koudelka 

Koudelka will be able to show his improvement in the offseason this Saturday, April 12th, at noon during the annual UVA Spring Football game. The game will be televised on ACCNX.