The one thing that I feared going into that worthless game with Norfolk State last week, somebody important getting injured in a throwaway game, has materialized, with the news that defensive tackle Jason Hammond, who left the 59-3 UVA Football win toward the end of the first quarter, holding his left forearm, in obvious pain, will need surgery on what turned out to be an injured left elbow.
“I’m really heartbroken for Jason, because I know how hard he worked to get back, and he missed some time in the past, and nobody wants to have to, just as you’re getting going, have to fix something to get yourself back ready to roll,” Virginia coach Tony Elliott told reporters on Tuesday, during his game-week conference, ahead of Saturday’s non-conference tilt in Charlotte with West Virginia.
Details
- Virginia (2-0) vs. West Virginia (2-0)
- Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
- TV: ACCN (Wes Durham, Max Browne, Madison Fitzpatrick)
Hammond logged 11 snaps on the interior of the D line in the Norfolk State game, with a batted pass on his statline.
The 6’2”, 284-pounder, who will have one year of eligibility remaining after the 2026 season, under the new five-in-five rule, was in on a career-high 360 snaps in 2025, with 18 QB hurries, three sacks and 28 tackles in the run game.
Now you see the depth on the Virginia roster put to the test, having to account for your #1 at D tackle being out for the foreseeable.
The #2 and #3 guys on the depth chart at D tackle are Darrion Henry-Young (134 snaps, 11 run-game tackles, three QB pressures at Coastal Carolina in 2025) and Kervins Choute (213 snaps, 4 QB pressures, 16 run-game tackles at UConn in 2025).
Assuming you can move a guy over from nose tackle, the other interior position, the #1 at NT is Anthony Britton (227 snaps, 11 QB pressures, 1 sack, 16 run-game tackles at UVA in 2025), and the #2 is Sichan John (55 snaps, 1 QB pressure, 1 run-game tackle at UVA in 2025).
Off the depth chart, Elliott talked today about how Jonathan Allen (390 snaps, 14 QB pressures, three sacks, 32 run-game tackles at UAB in 2025) “has got to step up.”
ICYMI
And then there’s Cazeem Moore, who rejoined the program last week after a rent-a-judge in Kentucky threw a lifeline to Moore and a group of other athletes with expired eligibility under the old rules.
Moore, a lithe (6’4”, 252-pound) interior guy, spent the week on the scout team, before getting in for four snaps at the end of the blowout win.
“Cazeem was our scout team player of the week, right, because his role was to go down, we didn’t know how much he’d be available. Could he be eligible to play? We knew he could practice. So, he’s over there giving us a great look, getting ready for this game, being on the field, the Norfolk State defensive linemen. And you know what, he did it with joy, and he gave great effort,” Elliott said.
You probably need Moore to be a sixth guy inside this weekend, and going forward, assuming an appellate court doesn’t overrule the rent-a-judge.
“That’s the unfortunate part about football, it’s the next man up, and sometimes you gotta carry a little bit bigger load than maybe you want to, but it’s whatever you gotta do for the team. So, I’m excited for the other guys to get their opportunity,” Elliott said.
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Chris Graham
