Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall announced Thursday that he will be stepping down after the team’s next game.

Mendenhall, 55, said his only decision was to leave.

“I would say there has been this backlog and a long amount of thoughts and ideas, but obviously this week there has been a sense of clarity for me that I need to step back from college football and re-evaluate and renew and reframe and reinvent – ​​with my wife as a partner – our future and the next chapter of Our life “. “Our sporting director asked me to stay. Our boss asked me to stay. It’s only my decision.”

The Cavaliers have gone 36-38 in their six seasons, including the 2019 ACC Coastal Division Championship and the team’s first appearance of the year six in the Orange Bowl.

Virginia finished 6-6 this season, the fifth consecutive year the Cavaliers have qualified.

“It has been an honor to have Broncos Mindenhall head the Virginia football team for the past six seasons,” Virginia athletics director Carla Williams said in a statement. “He has done an exceptional job of not only changing the programme, but raising expectations for the programme. He has laid the necessary foundation to propel our football team to the top. He is more than just a football coach and the impact he has had on those. Young people will have a positive impact for the rest of their lives.”

Before arriving in Virginia, Mendenhall spent 11 seasons at Brigham Young University, going from 99 to 43 with 11 bowl appearances.

In his 17 years as head coach, Mindenhall has gone 135-81, ranking him eighth among current FBS coaches in winning percentage (.625).