Virginia’s 2026 football team has the look of a group that isn’t satisfied with what it just did.
That’s the clearest shift around Charlottesville. A school-record 11 wins and a trip to the ACC championship game would normally be enough to cool the temperature for a year. Instead, the Cavaliers are walking into this season with a different kind of belief - not just that they can repeat last year, but that they can push beyond it.
There’s good reason for that confidence, starting with the roster itself. Tony Elliott’s high school recruiting classes have not turned heads with analysts over the past five years, and his first class in 2021 - which included starting left guard Noah Josey - was his best-ranked group at No. 37 nationally by 247Sports. But college football has changed, and Virginia has leaned into that reality.
The Cavaliers have become a landing spot for former blue-chip recruits whose first stops didn’t quite work out. Quarterback Beau Pribula, running back Peyton Lewis, receiver Rico Flores Jr., center Drake Metcalf, cornerback Omillio Agard and safety Brandyn Hillman all arrived in Charlottesville after beginning their careers at Power Four programs and contributing there. On paper, that gives Virginia a different level of talent at several spots.
Pribula, in particular, brings a profile that stands out. He’s bigger and more mobile than Chandler Morris, who delivered last season’s signature moments.
Flores looks like a true No. 1 receiver. Hillman brings a national championship ring from Michigan.
And across the roster, there are still competitions for jobs at running back, receiver, defensive line and cornerback, which gives the staff more answers if injuries hit. Coaches have already pointed to multiple wideouts, pass rushers and defensive tackles who have stood out in workouts.
Losing a player like Monroe Mills a year ago might not be as devastating now.
The other part of the equation is what Virginia already knows it has. Former coach Al Groh used to talk about “the confidence of demonstrated performance,” and the Cavaliers have plenty of that returning. More than 50 newcomers are in the mix, but key holdovers from last season’s breakthrough are still here: offensive linemen Josey and McKale Boley, receiver Kam Courtney, defensive linemen Fisher Camac, Anthony Britton and Jason Hammond, safety Ethan Minter and others who helped make the 11-3 run possible.
That group matters because last season wasn’t just about talent. Elliott and his staff had to weld a roster together, and they did it well enough to go 5-3 in one-score games. That kind of experience tends to travel.
Then there’s the schedule, which gives Virginia every chance to make noise. Seven of its 12 games will be at Scott Stadium, after the opener against N.C.
State was moved from Brazil. The Cavaliers also avoid Miami, Louisville, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh in ACC play.
There aren’t many easy weeks, but outside of an Oct. 17 trip to SMU - and maybe the Oct. 3 game at Florida State - Virginia should enter each matchup as the favorite. The Cavaliers opened as 5.5-point favorites against NC State.
That brings its own kind of pressure. One ACC slip could be enough to knock Virginia out of the championship race, especially with the conference’s new tiebreaker system. Still, with more talent, more experience and a friendly schedule, this doesn’t feel like a team preparing to back into anything.
In Other News...
Virginia May Finally Have The Pass Rush Depth Fans Needed
Fall camp has brought a more encouraging tone around Virginias pass rush, with defensive coordinator John Rudzinski spending part of his media availability breaking down a group that looks deeper than it has in recent seasons. Fisher Camac, Matthew Fobbs-White, Jewett Hayes and Devon Baxter all drew mention as players who could help give the Cavaliers more pressure off the edge, and the overall message was one of cautious optimism about what that room might provide this fall.
Camac, in particular, sounds like a player the staff believes is on an upward track. Rudzinski pointed to his athleticism and his study habits as important pieces of his development, the kind of traits that can help a pass rusher turn flashes into steady production. Virginia has been looking for more consistent disruption in that area, so the real question now is whether this group can translate camp promise into something the defense can count on once the games start. [Read more 🡒]
Virginias Martin Carrere Could Solve A Backcourt Question This Fall
Martin Carrere arrives at Virginia with a profile that should make him interesting in more than one way. The 6-foot-9 forward transferred from VCU, brings shooting touch and some ball-handling ability, and fits into the kind of versatile mold Ryan Odom seems eager to explore as he pieces together the roster for the 2026-27 season. Carreres scoring numbers were modest last year, but his skill set gives Virginia a player who can help stretch the floor and do a little more than just play on the wing.
What makes Carrere especially intriguing is the possibility that he could end up easing some of the pressure in the backcourt. Virginia does not look especially deep behind Chance Mallory at point guard, and that could push the Cavaliers toward leaning on bigger, multi-skilled options to help start offense. If Carrere can handle the ball well enough to serve as a secondary initiator, it would give Odom a flexible answer to a roster question that may matter all winter. [Read more 🡒]
Beau Pribula Now Holds The Key To Virginias Ceiling
Virginias quarterback decision is now official, and with Missouri graduate transfer Beau Pribula tabbed as the starter, the Cavaliers have settled the most important position on the field heading into the season. Tony Elliott has been consistently upbeat about what Pribula has brought to the program, pointing to his leadership and poise, along with the way he has already connected with teammates and handled himself around the media.
John Rudzinskis view adds another layer to why this choice matters so much for Virginia. The defensive coordinator has emphasized Pribulas athleticism, his command of the offense and his ability to make life harder on the defense, which is exactly the kind of profile that can change what the Cavaliers are capable of this fall. The job now shifts from winning the competition to proving the ceiling really is higher with him at the controls. [Read more 🡒]