Fall camp is winding down for Virginia, and a few of the loudest takeaways making the rounds need a little cooling off. The Cavaliers have had real developments in practice, sure, but not every buzzworthy note is a sign that the depth chart is about to flip on its head.
Start with the backfield. Middlebrook has been the more eye-catching runner in camp, and that part is hard to ignore.
Still, Peyton Lewis is not fading into the background here. He remains a highly talented piece, and there’s every reason to think he’ll factor into the offense just as much as Middlebrook.
One reason Middlebrook got that extended look in the first place was that Lewis needed more time than expected to adjust to life at UVA. That doesn’t mean Lewis is suddenly locked into a massive workload, but the projection that this becomes some lopsided situation doesn’t line up with what’s been reported.
A split closer to 50-50 feels much more realistic than the current chatter suggests.
The same goes for the BANDIT spot. Devon Baxter and Jewett Hayes have both made noise while Fobbs-White was out, and that has naturally fueled speculation.
But Fobbs-White returned to practice on Monday and did it without limitations, which puts him right back in the starting role. Baxter and Hayes still matter - they look like quality depth options - but Fobbs-White is the one with the ceiling to become one of Virginia’s top defensive players in 2026 after putting up 33 QB pressures in only 387 snaps at Baylor last year.
Then there’s the receiver rotation, which is messy in the way camp receiver groups usually are, but not as mysterious as it may look from the outside. Des Kitchings and his staff already seem to have a handle on how they want to distribute the work. Based on what has shown up in camp, Rico Flores Jr., Kam Courtney, Jacquon Gibson, and Da’Shawn Martin are the names drawing most of the first-team reps, with Dillon Newton-Short and TyLyric Coleman working in behind them.
Coleman, in particular, sounds like a player who has made real progress over the summer. He was the starting “X” in Virginia’s first fall camp scrimmage, which is a pretty clear sign that he’s in the mix for more than just a cameo. Josiah Abdullah and Isaiah Robinson could also become intriguing passing-game options for Beau Pribula in 2026, especially if Robinson is fully healthy.
In Other News...
Tony Elliotts Virginia Plan Puts Pressure On The NIL Arms Race
NIL has changed the economics of college football, and Virginia is trying to navigate that reality without losing sight of what Tony Elliott wants the program to be. The Cavaliers rank 60th nationally in athlete payments, with $13.5 million allocated to football, a spending level that puts them in the middle of the national race rather than at the front of it. For Elliott, the answer is not simply to chase the biggest price tags, but to keep building a roster he believes can actually function together.
That approach adds another layer of pressure in a market where money so often sets the tone, especially when Virginias top-paid player is quarterback Beau Pribula at $1.5 million. Elliott has been clear that fit matters as much as talent, and the challenge now is whether that philosophy can hold up when richer programs come calling with bigger checks. For Virginia, the question is less about whether it can spend and more about whether it can keep competing while staying true to the standard Elliott wants. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Still Has One Offensive Concern Fans Can't Ignore
Virginia has spent much of training camp trying to build a passing game from near scratch at wide receiver, and head coach Tony Elliott has been right in the middle of that work. With several key targets from last season gone, the Cavaliers are leaning on a mix of transfers and freshmen to settle in before the opener against N.C. State, and the group is still trying to find its footing in a new system.
The concern is not just experience, but availability and timing. Rico Flores Jr. missed time with a sore hamstring, while Da'Shawn Martin and Dylan Cope have also been limited by minor injuries, leaving Virginia with even fewer chances to get the unit synced up during camp. With the opener approaching, the Cavaliers still have one offensive question that has not fully answered itself yet. [Read more 🡒]
Virginias Point Guard Picture Just Got More Complicated With Dallin Hall
Virginias point guard situation took another twist with Dallin Hall, who started at the position last season, entering the NCAA transfer portal after being granted a fifth year of college eligibility by a court ruling. Halls path has already been a winding one, with three seasons at BYU before his move to Virginia and an NBA summer that ended without him being drafted after workouts with several teams.
The portal decision adds a fresh layer of uncertainty to a roster that is largely set for next season, which makes a return to Charlottesville feel far from simple even with the eligibility issue resolved. Virginia would likely have to make room if Hall were to come back, but for now the picture around its lead guard spot is more complicated than it was just a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]