Virginia’s starting lineup is close to being set, but a few jobs still look very much alive with the opener against NC State just a week away.
Tony Elliott has spent spring practice, summer workouts and a hard-edged training camp sorting through a roster that changed dramatically. The transfer portal brought in more depth, and a few players are still working to get fully comfortable in Elliott’s system.
So while most of the depth chart is settled, three spots remain in play before the Cavaliers kick off at 3:30 p.m. Aug.
At receiver, Rico Flores Jr. appears to have locked down the X spot, and Jacquon Gibson has settled in at slot. That leaves the Z job as the main question, with Kam Courtney and Da'Shawn Martin competing for the role.
Courtney has the advantage of familiarity. He caught 12 passes as a freshman and 25 more last season as a sophomore, and while he still hasn’t found the end zone through the air, he did score on an end-around against William & Mary last season. He has flashed big-play ability - including a 34-yard catch against Wake Forest and a 31-yard grab against Virginia Tech in 2025 - but he still hasn’t put together the kind of steady production offensive coordinator Des Kitchings wants.
Martin brings a different résumé. Last season at Kent State, he finished with 33 catches for 507 yards and four touchdowns, including a 75-yard scoring grab against Florida State, one of the teams Virginia will face this season. Both receivers are expected to be part of the plan against the Wolfpack, but the first crack at the job may come down to how they perform in practice next week.
There’s also a battle on the edge of the defense. A player better known as a versatile defensive end will be asked to supply pass rush opposite incumbent Fisher Camac, and Baylor transfer Matthew Fobbs-White looked like the favorite heading into camp. A lingering lower-body injury slowed his early work, though, and opened the door for others to make a case.
Fobbs-White is listed at 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds and profiles as a speed rusher. Last season at Baylor, he was credited with three quarterback hurries but no sacks, though he had four sacks in each of his two previous seasons at Tulane.
Now he’s being chased by a group of transfers that includes Nnanna Anyanwu from UTSA, Ezekiel Larry from Yale and Devon Baxter from Michigan. John Rudzinski is expected to use a deep rotation there, keeping fresh legs on the field as much as possible.
The running back picture is less settled too, especially with the status of Solomon Beebe still uncertain. That could create an opening for other backs to move up, and Peyton Lewis looks like one player ready to benefit. The speedster appears headed to a spot behind Jekail Middlebrook on the depth chart.
Xavier Brown and Noah Vaughn may also get work as return men, along with Gibson and Martin, giving Virginia a few more ways to sort out the final pieces before the season starts.
In Other News...
Virginia Looks Poised To Prove Its Edge At Cal Again
Virginia is headed back to California for a second swing through the Bay Area, with matchups against the Golden Bears and Stanford offering another early look at how Tony Bennetts group stacks up on the road. The setup feels familiar enough: Virginia again brings the cleaner profile, while the comparison of 2025-26 player numbers points toward an advantage in shooting efficiency and overall impact across several spots on the floor.
Cal has had its roster churn, and the latest transfer movement only adds to the uncertainty around how the Bears will hold up once the games count. Virginia, meanwhile, comes in with a case built not just on last seasons result but on the idea that its edge may be even clearer in direct player-for-player matchups this time around, especially on the wing and at power forward. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Opens ACC Play With A Chance To Prove Last Year Was Real
Virginia gets its ACC slate started with a familiar-looking test, one that carries a little more weight than a typical September matchup. NC State comes to Scott Stadium with both teams trying to establish what kind of season theyre about to have, and for the Cavaliers, the opener offers an early chance to show that last years progress was not a one-off. The setting adds to the feel of it, too, with two programs that know each other well now meeting in a game that still has the feel of a fresh checkpoint.
The betting market suggests Virginia should have the edge, which only raises the pressure to back it up on the field. What makes this one more interesting is how it landed on the schedule in the first place, because this game was originally penciled in as a non-conference date before ACC changes turned it into a league opener. For Virginia, that means the spotlight arrives immediately, and the first real proof point of the season is sitting there right at the start. [Read more 🡒]
Virginias ACC Climb Could Decide A Much Bigger Bowl Ceiling
Virginias path to the postseason is still being drawn in pencil, but the range of possible destinations says plenty about how much is at stake this fall. Depending on how the season unfolds and where the Cavaliers land in the ACC standings, the projections could send them to bowls like the Holiday, Mayo, Gasparilla or Pop-Tarts, a reminder that one strong stretch can change the whole shape of the trip after the regular season ends.
The bigger wrinkle is that Virginias ceiling may not be decided only by its own record, but by how the leagues upper tier sorts itself out. A deep ACC climb could put the Cavaliers in position for a better bowl slot, while a crowded race and outside results could push them down unless they handle a key conference matchup and finish ahead of the pack they are chasing. [Read more 🡒]