Kam Robinson makes his first appearance on the depth chart at mike linebacker in 2025, which is obviously good news for the Virginia defense.
Robinson went down with a fractured collarbone in training camp, and underwent surgery last month, with the initial timetable suggesting he would miss at least the first two games of the 2025 season.
The 6’2”, 234-pound junior, was on the field for pregame warmups for Virginia’s Week 3 game with William & Mary, but did not play.
“That was the plan. The plan was to let him warm up. And last week, he practiced with non-contact. We wanted him to get used to the gameday routine since he’d been out for a couple of weeks. And that’s why we allowed him to warm up. We did a couple of other guys like that,” head coach Tony Elliott said Tuesday, at his weekly presser.
Robinson is a difference-maker in John Rudzinski’s defensive scheme, able to line up in the box, outside, the slot and on the D line.
The Class of 2023 four-star was on the field for 977 snaps in his first two seasons, recording 135 tackles, 78 of those being run tackles (on 420 run-defense snaps); 26 QB pressures and six sacks on 75 pass-rush snaps; and an 82.7 NFL passer rating against on 482 coverage snaps (41 completions on 54 targets, three INTs).
“I think the film speaks for itself,” Elliott said. “You just go watch him play, and he’s a very, very fast, very instinctual, violent guy, can run sideline to sideline. So, you get a very dynamic athlete back at the linebacker position.”
Robinson’s return drops junior Landon Danley down to the #2 spot at mike linebacker on the depth chart.
Danley leads the UVA D in tackles (18) and defensive snaps (123) through three games in 2025.
Updates
Grad senior safety Antonio Clary “should be turned loose,” Elliott said.
“He’s mad at me right now, because he wants to play, and he’s one that he’ll lay it on the line for you,” Elliott said. “He has no regard for his body, and he’s willing to go down for the team. I want him to be able to play as much football as possible, and I think he will.
“I have to be the bad guy and say, hey, no, we need to take another week, and I’m willing to do that because ultimately I want to see him play and play as much as he possibly can. And then also, I’m a little bit more experienced in terms of the aftereffect of injuries long term. So you don’t want to put him in a situation where five, 10 years from now, he’s going to be walking with a permanent limp because he came back too soon,” Elliott said.
As Elliott referenced there, Clary has dealt with every injury imaginable in a college career that dates to 2019.
He was the highest-graded member of the Virginia defense a year ago, earning a 79.6 grade from Pro Football Focus, for his work in six games, on which he logged 295 snaps, on which he accumulated 43 tackles, a sack and an INT, and three pass breakups.
“It’s kind of give and take,” Elliott said. “But I tell you what, yesterday he was turned loose to run around full speed with the group, and he looked good. But we’ll still continue to talk between Clary and myself and the medical staff to see what is the right time. How does the knee respond? Because really it’s, structurally it’s fixed, and he’s in a good place from a strength standpoint now It’s just how does it respond to the volume of practice, and then how does it respond in the game?”
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Punter/kickoff specialist/holder Daniel Sparks (hip flexor) “should be available to punt,” per Elliott, but it’s looking like Elijah Slibeck will handle kickoffs.
“We may take the duty of kickoff away (from Sparks) just for a little while, because that’s where he puts a little bit more stress on the leg,” Elliott said.
Slibeck had six touchbacks on his 10 kickoffs last week in relief of Sparks, with W&M averaging 21.0 yards on its four returns, and an average starting field position of 25.9.
Sparks has recorded 13 touchbacks on his 15 kickoffs this season, with opponents averaging 20.0 yards on the two that were returned, and an average starting field position of 25.3.
Sparks, who served as the holder on extra-point and field-goal attempts for placekicker Will Bettridge after being lifted from the kickoff unit last week, is still listed atop the depth chart at holder for this week, with Slibeck listed as the backup.
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Tailback Noah Vaughn “could be a couple weeks,” according to Elliott, with a high ankle sprain sustained on a second-quarter run in the W&M game last week.
Vaughn ran for 101 yards on eight carries in the win.
The depth chart at tailback still has J’Mari Taylor (71.0 yards/g, six TDs) at #1, Xavier Brown (30.3 yards/g, one TD) at #2 and Harrison Waylee (56.3 yards/g, four TDs) at #3.
Lots of depth there.
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Right tackle Wallace Unamba is likely out until the Washington State game on Oct. 18 “to let that knee calm down,” Elliott said.
Unamba left after 20 snaps in the Week 1 win over Coastal Carolina with the knee injury.
Grad senior Jack Witmer has logged the bulk of the snaps at right tackle (131).
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