Virginia’s offense heads into summer workouts with a familiar kind of question hanging over it: who steps in after last season’s transfer portal production is gone?
Tony Elliott said spring practices were productive, and now the Cavaliers have moved into the next phase of preparation with voluntary, player-led work and NCAA-allowed training days. With a little less than two months left before kickoff, those sessions are set to shape the season ahead.
Virginia opens against NC State on Saturday, August 29 at 3:30 p.m. The game, which had been scheduled for Brazil, will now be played at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville.
The biggest storyline on offense is replacement value. UVA got a lot out of portal additions last season, and the challenge for 2026 is finding new sources for that same kind of production. Quarterback Chandler Morris and running back J’Mari Taylor are both out of eligibility after finishing strong seasons, and together they accounted for 36 passing and rushing touchdowns.
The Cavaliers also have to replace key receiving production. Tight end Sage Ennis and receiver Trell Harris, both previous portal pickups for Virginia, each finished with 5 receiving touchdowns. Ennis has completed his college career, while Harris has moved on to Oklahoma.
Over the past several weeks, the Summer Reading series has gone through the roster position by position. The defense recap is available separately, but the offensive side is where the biggest questions sit as Virginia works through the summer and looks toward August 29.
In Other News...
Michigan Great Phil Hubbard Earns Long Overdue Honor
Phil Hubbards basketball journey has taken him from McKinley High School to Michigan, through an Olympic gold medal in 1976 and a long NBA career, and now it is getting a lasting tribute back in Canton, Ohio. The former pro and current assistant coach at St. Paul VI Catholic High School will have a court renamed in his honor at Preston Young Sr. Mini Park, a nod to a career that has stretched across every level of the game.
The recognition is set for Aug. 8 during a mini park reunion, adding a hometown layer to a tribute that has been a long time coming. Hubbard has stayed close to the sport as part of Glenn Farellos staff at Paul VI for the past six years, so the honor lands not just as a look back at what he accomplished, but as a reminder that his influence is still being felt on the sidelines. [Read more 🡒]
UVAs Early Bracket Respect Is Already Sparking A Ryan Odom Debate
Joe Lunardis latest look at the 2026-27 NCAA Tournament has already given Virginia something it rarely gets this early in the calendar: a little bracket respect. In his updated projection, the Cavaliers are sitting as a No. 3 seed in the South Region, a placement that naturally invites a bigger conversation about where Ryan Odoms program could be headed if the early optimism holds.
The bracket is still pure projection, of course, and plenty will change before March arrives, but the path Lunardi mapped out is the kind of thing that gets attention around Charlottesville. Virginia is slotted into a region that keeps other ACC contenders elsewhere on the board, and the overall picture only adds to the sense that this teams early standing is becoming a talking point long before the real tournament field is set. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia May Finally Have The Offense Fans Have Been Waiting For
Virginias offseason conversation is shifting from what went wrong in the NCAA Tournament to what the next version of the roster might look like on the other end of the floor. The defense should still be the foundation, but the bigger question for 2026-27 is whether player development and a stronger incoming class can finally give the Cavaliers enough scoring to match it.
Chance Mallory is at the center of that hope, with his growth expected to matter in a major way, while freshman center Favour Ibe adds another layer to the rotation picture. Virginia has spent enough seasons leaning on its defense to know the margin for error, and this groups ceiling may come down to whether the offense can take a real step forward without sacrificing the structure that has kept the Cavaliers competitive. [Read more 🡒]