Virginia’s defensive end picture has already produced one of the more intriguing twists of fall camp.
The top of the room looks familiar enough. Fisher Camac and Matthew Fobbs-White are expected to start, and Virginia’s defense under John Rudzinski typically leans on a deep rotation anyway, with four to five players getting real snaps in a game. But the battle for the spots behind them has taken an early turn, and it has put Jewett Hayes right in the spotlight.
So far in camp, Hayes has been working as the starter opposite Camac in the BANDIT role. That stands out because Fobbs-White is currently sidelined with a lower-body injury, and the expectation had been that Yale transfer Ezekiel Larry would be the obvious backup behind him heading into 2026.
Instead, Hayes has jumped ahead, and that makes this development especially notable. He has been a name with a lot of buzz for the last two seasons, but he has not yet managed to carve out a real role. Now, he appears to have taken a meaningful step forward and is putting himself in position to matter on the field for UVA this year.
That should be welcome news for defensive ends coach Chris Slade, who pushed hard for Hayes in the 2024 class and helped land him over Kentucky, Iowa, and West Virginia.
There are clear reasons Hayes may be holding that edge right now. He brings more length than Larry, and he has shown in practice that he can hold up against the run, collapse the edge, and get himself into a strong spot at the point of attack. That kind of size and discipline matters in a role that has to do more than just chase quarterbacks.
Larry still brings a different kind of juice. He is quicker and has a more explosive first step, which is part of why the staff is planning to use him as a DPR, or designated pass rusher, in 2026. That was the role Daniel Rickert handled so well last year for the Cavaliers.
With Camac, Fobbs-White, Hayes, Larry, and UTSA transfer Nnanna Anyanwu in the mix, Virginia could end up with a defensive end group that gives opposing offensive lines a lot of different problems. The blend of size, burst, and skill sets could make this one of the ACC’s more effective pass-rushing units in 2026.
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