Virginia’s running back room is suddenly crowded in a good way, and that’s exactly the kind of problem Tony Elliott and his staff wanted after another busy offseason in the transfer portal.
Peyton Lewis, Jekail Middlebrook and Solomon Beebe all arrived this offseason, and they join Xavier Brown, who chose to come back to UVA this year. That gives Virginia a group with real depth, real talent and, just as importantly, a few different skill sets the staff will have to sort through once fall camp gets rolling.
The biggest question is how the carries actually get divided. On paper, Lewis and Middlebrook look like the two backs most likely to form a 1A/1B rotation.
But Virginia thought something similar last season after J’Mari Taylor transferred in, and that situation changed fast. During fall camp in 2025, Taylor was sharing work with Harrison Waylee and Xavier Brown, and the expectation was that the arrangement would hold.
Instead, Taylor ended up becoming a full workhorse back, something few UVA fans had penciled in for week one.
That history is why it wouldn’t be a shock if one of the new arrivals ends up taking over more of the load than expected. Lewis and Middlebrook both have the look of players who can make an impact, and both should get a chance to flash in camp the way they did in the spring. Still, seeing Peyton Lewis handle 80% of the work against North Carolina State is a very real possibility.
Brown brings a different kind of value to the room. He’s one of the most explosive backs on the roster, and the staff now has to decide exactly how to deploy him in 2026.
A third-down role makes sense, especially because he has been effective as a pass-catcher out of the backfield before. However Virginia uses him, the fact that he returned says plenty.
Coach Kitchings almost certainly gave him a clear role, because otherwise Brown likely would have gone somewhere else.
Then there’s Davis, who gave Virginia a promising glimpse of what he can be. He looked good as a true freshman last spring and followed that up with a solid showing in the bowl game against Missouri in December. A higher-end 3-star recruit in last year’s class, Davis flashed enough in year one to make the staff believe there’s something there.
The challenge now is development. With 3-4 players ahead of him on the depth chart, Davis may have a hard time finding consistent touches. Even so, he could still be viewed as the No. 3 pure runner on the roster behind Lewis and Middlebrook, while Beebe and Brown fit more naturally as third-down specialists than early-down options.
Virginia clearly likes Davis, and that makes his place in the room worth watching. If the Cavaliers want to keep him engaged while Lewis and Middlebrook handle the bulk of the early-down work, they’ll need to keep finding ways to build him up in 2026.
In Other News...
PFF Just Sent Nebraska Fans A Big Anthony Colandrea Message
Anthony Colandreas rise has been steady enough to catch the attention of one of the sports most closely watched evaluators, and Nebraska is banking on that momentum carrying into 2026. After two seasons at Virginia and a strong stop at UNLV, the former Cavaliers quarterback is now set to lead the Cornhuskers, with Pro Football Focus slotting him as the No. 3 quarterback in the Big Ten entering the season.
The appeal is obvious for Nebraska: Colandrea brings a track record of production and dual-threat ability, the kind of profile that can change the shape of an offense if it translates against league defenses. He was productive at UNLV in 2025 both through the air and on the ground, but the Big Ten will be a different test, and the real question is whether he can turn that promise into the kind of consistency Nebraska has been searching for. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Just Settled Its Biggest Offensive Question For 2026
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Pribula also enters with a body of work that suggests there is still room for more production once he settles in fully. His 2025 numbers showed both playmaking and some volatility, and he did that while appearing in only nine full games. Virginias path may also be a little more manageable than some of the quarterbacks it will be measured against, which only raises the importance of getting the most out of the position. The bigger question now is how quickly Pribula can turn that edge into consistent results against the ACCs better defenses. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Just Made Another Early Move In A Familiar Richmond Pipeline
Virginias recruiting reach in Richmond picked up another familiar name this week, as the Cavaliers extended a scholarship offer to Blair Morris, a 2028 athlete from Varina High School. The move came after Morris spent time at a UVA camp, where the staff got a closer look at a player who has already started drawing attention beyond the city, including an offer from East Carolina.
Morris is still early in the process, but the connection to Virginia has some built-in momentum. Current and former Cavaliers with Varina ties have been encouraging him about the program, and he is planning to visit several schools this fall as he sorts through his options. For UVA, it is another chance to stay active in a pipeline that has been good to the program before, even if the next step in Morriss recruitment is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]