Virginia’s preseason camp has mostly brought good news, but the receiver room is still waiting to sort itself out.
That was the uneasy note Des Kitchings struck Wednesday afternoon, and it landed with some weight. With the opener less than two weeks away, Virginia’s offensive coordinator said none of the wide receivers has clearly separated from the pack.
There’s no shortage of bodies in the room. The Cavaliers added transfers Rico Flores Jr. from UCLA, Da'Shawn Martin from Kent State, Jacquon Gibson from UMass and Tyson Davis from Central Michigan, a group that combined for 147 catches, 1,720 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025 for their previous teams. Junior Kam Courtney is back after finishing last season with 25 receptions for 234 yards, and Virginia also brought in freshmen DaMari Carter and Dylan Cope.
That leaves a crowded race for three starting jobs. Flores, at 6-2 and 211 pounds, had been viewed as a strong candidate for one of the outside spots because of his background at Notre Dame and UCLA, while Gibson seemed to have the best shot at the slot. But Kitchings made clear that nothing is settled.
"There are some guys that are flashing each day," he told reporters Wednesday, "and some guys who are improving their consistency. But to say that there's a separation, not at this point. And the next back half of this week, going into next week, as we put the finishing touches on camp would be a good barometer to see where we are at that position."
That’s not exactly the kind of answer Virginia fans were hoping for this close to game week. The Cavaliers want to lean on the run, as Kitchings and Tony Elliott have said, but any offense in modern college football still needs a passing game that can hold up.
Part of the delay is easy to explain. Outside of Courtney, the top contenders for snaps are new to the program.
So are quarterback Beau Pribula and his main backup, Eli Holstein. Chemistry takes time, and Virginia hasn’t had much of it yet.
There’s also the fact that experience is thin in one key area. Other than Gibson, who had 63 catches for a winless UMass team last fall, none of the receivers in the mix has been the top option for a college offense. And every day they’re going up against a veteran Virginia secondary that projects as one of the defense’s stronger groups this season.
That setup makes practice competitive, but it also makes life harder for the receivers trying to carve out roles. If they can’t consistently separate from Virginia’s cornerbacks, they won’t separate from one another either.
Kitchings and Elliott would probably prefer to have the lineup locked in now so the top group can get more work together before the Aug. 29 opener against N.C. State. A little more clarity could come after Virginia’s second and final intrasquad scrimmage Saturday.
"I put a lot of stock in it, because that's an opportunity at Scott Stadium," Kitchings said. "The coaches are off the field.
In practice, a lot of times, the coaches may try to help and correct a kid. You see him misalign, or he may have a look like he's uncertain or something, and the coaches are helping them. ...
But when we get in the stadium, it's like a game."
If Saturday sharpens the picture, Virginia will still have two full weeks to polish the passing game before the opener. If it doesn’t, Elliott and Kitchings may be in for a few restless nights.
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