CHARLOTTESVILLE - It seemed too good to be true. Alas, it was.

A memo distributed to media members last week indicated that U.Va. football players would be available for interviews after every practice during training camp this month, a dramatic break from tradition.

Oops. Turns out there’d been a misunderstanding between Al Groh and the school’s sports information department. U.Va. is known for limiting access to its football players during preseason, and that will be the case again this year.

Reporters were, however, allowed to interview players after the first practice of training camp Monday night. Several Cavaliers postponed their dinners and stuck around to talk, including wide receiver Maurice Covington and quarterback Peter Lalich.

With 24 receptions as a collegian, Cary Koch has the most of any U.Va. wideout. But 23 of those came when Koch was at Tulane. With 11 career catches as a Cavalier, Covington leads the way.

A 6-4, 215-pound junior, Covington was a projected starter even before classmate Kevin Ogletree - Virginia’s top receiver in 2006 - tore an ACL during spring practice. Now he’s expected to lead a receiving corps that may be the team’s biggest question mark.

Pressure? You bet.

“All the the time, all the time,“ Covington said with a smile. “I’m hearing it from everybody: fans, friends, teammates, family. So it’s big pressure.“

The only way Covington knows to deal with it, he said, is to “just go out here and work hard.“

The 6-5 Lalich, as most U.Va. fans know, is the most heralded quarterback prospect to sign with the Cavaliers since Groh returned to his alma mater after the 2000 season.

Lalich has probably lost count of how many trips to Charlottesville he made during his senior year at West Springfield High, but his eagerness to become part of the program has impressed his coaches and his new teammates.

“A lot of the guys know who I am already, so that helped out a lot,“ Lalich said. “It’s good if you’re a quarterback to know all the guys, because I’m going to be the quarterback one day, hopefully.

“I think they know I’m here to work, and that helps ... I think that’s the most important thing for a quarterback - to have his teammates help him out. It’s not so much all about me as it is about the whole team.“

Lalich participated seven-on-seven drills run by the players this summer, but that didn’t lessen his anxiety when his first college practice finally arrived.

“I was so nervous when I first came on the field,“ Lalich said, “but I was confident at the same time. I didn’t know what to expect. It was fun. I had a blast.“

If starter Jameel Sewell, who’s recovering from wrist surgery, stays healthy this season, Lalich is likely to redshirt.

“Jameel’s teaching me basically everything I know right now,“ Lalich said.  “He’s taking me under his wing right now. I think he’s going to have a breakout year.