Virginia fans are about to start looking for the next crop of Saturday favorites, and the first names that usually come to mind - all-ACC linebacker Kam Robinson and quarterback Beau Pribula - are being set aside for this exercise. Robinson is already well known, and Pribula is expected to step in for Chandler Morris, so the spotlight shifts to a few others who could win over Scott Stadium with production and personality.
One of the best bets is safety Joseph Hillman, a Virginia native who could fit neatly into the program’s long line of standout defensive backs. The Cavaliers have had plenty of them over the years, from Ronde Barber and Anthony Poindexter in the 1990s to career tackles leader Quin Blanding in the 20102.
Hillman arrives with a strong résumé from Michigan, where he finished fourth on the team with 49 tackles in 2025 and earned honorable mention all-Big Ten recognition. He also brings the kind of game that plays in every stadium: hard hits.
Hillman starred as both a quarterback and defensive back at Portsmouth’s Churchill High School before heading to Michigan, and coming back to Virginia gives him a chance to make his mark in front of home-state fans.
Running back J’Mari Taylor is another returnee with a built-in chance to connect with the crowd. He spent the past two seasons at Tennessee, then came back to Virginia with the goal of claiming the biggest share of the carries.
Taylor was an all-state pick at Salem High School, where he once piled up 373 yards and four touchdowns in a state playoff game. Tennessee was his choice out of 32 Division I offers, and he finished with 629 yards across two seasons in a part-time role.
Now he’s back in the Commonwealth, where he and Middle Tennessee State transfer Jekail Middlebrook are expected to split work in the backfield. Taylor’s speed only adds to the appeal - he was a five-time state track and field champion in the 55- and 100-meter sprints, which makes him a threat to score almost any time he gets the ball.
Then there’s Kendall Mills, the kind of lineman fans may not notice until he starts clearing space and throwing people around. He had hoped to make his Virginia debut last season after transferring from Louisville, but an ACL tear in spring workouts wiped out the year before it began.
Now he finally gets his chance as a 6-foot-7, 322-pound graduate student with a final season in front of him. Mills has already started 22 games at offensive tackle at Texas Tech and 10 more at Louisville, and he comes with a reputation as a physical brawler who can line up on either side of the line.
He joins a veteran offensive front that is supposed to help Pribula, Taylor and Middlebrook shine, and while linemen usually live in the shadows, the good ones always find a way to get noticed.
In Other News...
Three Former Cavaliers Just Reached A Crucial Summer Proving Ground
The summer proving ground is opening up for a familiar Virginia trio, with Ugonna Onyenso, Jacari White and Malik Thomas all getting NBA Summer League chances in different corners of the league. Onyenso is headed to Detroit, White will be in Lakers camp and Thomas is set to suit up for Toronto, giving each of them a fresh chance to turn a strong stretch into something more lasting as the calendar flips toward roster decisions and developmental windows.
For Onyenso, the path looks especially interesting after Detroits recent move that opened a bit of space in the frontcourt picture, while White faces a crowded Lakers backcourt and needs to stand out early enough to stay in the conversation for deeper opportunities. Thomas, meanwhile, is trying to make the most of a Toronto audition that could determine whether his summer ends with a longer look from the organization, and for all three Cavaliers, the next few games are about more than just box scores. [Read more 🡒]
ACC Expansion Could Leave Virginia Fans Wanting Opposite Things
Limited ACC expansion has put Virginia fans in a familiar spot: pulling for the league to get stronger while worrying about what it might cost the Cavaliers. The schools most often mentioned in that conversation are South Florida, Memphis, Tulane and UConn, a mix that would add new markets and more media reach while also forcing the conference to weigh revenue sharing, travel expenses and the kind of scheduling changes that can reshape a season.
From Virginias side, the appeal is obvious enough. More visibility in places like Connecticut, Tennessee and Louisiana could help the leagues profile, and a basketball-centric add such as UConn would bring real heft. But there is a tradeoff in the way those additions could alter the ACC schedule, especially if the home-and-away format gets pared back and Virginia sees less of the leagues traditional heavyweights in a given year. [Read more 🡒]