We know what the stakes are for the Tony Elliott regime at UVA heading into the 2024 season.
Anything less than bowl eligibility puts the former Clemson offensive guru squarely on the hot seat, and almost certainly has us on the verge of the next reset, given the way the hot seat thing usually works out for all involved.
The schedule offers the chance to get out to a good start, which will need to happen with the backloaded second half that includes road games at Clemson, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech, and home games with Louisville and North Carolina.
The Virginia roster isn’t loaded with superstars, so it’s going to take everybody on the two-deep to get things moving back in the right direction.
Here are the six guys who are going to have to step up to lead the way for the rest to be able to do their thing:
Tony Muskett
Muskett, a fifth-year senior, appears to be the QB1 going into training camp.
Muskett (94-for-150, 62.7 % completion rate, 6 TDs/5 INTs, 82.5 NFL passer rating in 2023) began the 2023 season as the starter, and was in and out of the lineup as he dealt with a shoulder injury early, and then an ankle injury that put him on the shelf for the final four games.
Ideally, Muskett stays healthy, is effective, and is thus able to play the entire season, meaning the backup, Anthony Colandrea, who put up nice numbers (153-for-245, 62.4% completion rate, 12 TDs/9 INTs, 87.5 NFL passer rating) in six starts as a true freshman in 2023, can use 2024 as a redshirt year.
Kam Robinson
Robinson, a sophomore linebacker, is the key player on the defensive side of the ball for Virginia because of the litany of things that he can do at the second level.
The versatile 6’2”, 227-pounder is valuable as a run-stuffer (72 tackles, 29 of them registering as defensive stops, per Pro Football Focus), pass-rusher (10 QB pressures, two sacks) and in pass coverage (2 INTs, 56.6 NFL passer rating against).
The more attention Robinson gets in the game-planning from the other side, the more that frees up the guys around him to be able to attack the line of scrimmage.
Jonas Sanker
Sanker, a senior safety, is the ideal backstop. The senior had a team-best 77.8 PFF grade in 2023, and he also led the defensive unit in snaps (he was on the field for 834 of the UVA D’s 846 snaps in 2023).
Sanker led the team in tackles (114), stops (32) and pass breakups (8).
Nothing getting past this guy is the key to getting stops and getting the D off the field.
Brian Stevens
Stevens, a senior center, had an O-line best 76.8 PFF grade in 2023, playing 869 snaps, and allowing just nine QB pressures and one sack on 475 pass dropbacks.
The experience and the depth on the O line is the #1 reason that I feel this team has a chance to turn things around in 2024, and Stevens is the best player on that unit.
Malachi Fields
Fields is a big target (6’4”, 220) at wideout, and he was a solid complement in 2023 to the record-setting Malik Washington (111 catches, 1,384 yards, 9 TDs).
Fields had 58 catches on 100 targets for 811 yards and 5 TDs in 2023.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see offensive coordinator Des Kitchings use Fields as the #2 option to Notre Dame transfer Chris Tyree, who like Washington is a speed guy (5’10”, 192) who is best used as a guy to create matchup issues in the slot.
For Tyree to be able to create mismatches in the slot, Fields needs to demand extra attention on the outside.
Kobe Pace
We’ve been talking about how this needs to be the year for Virginia to get the rushing attack going since the waning years of the Al Groh era.
Elliott, in particular, has made it a point of emphasis, at least in theory, talking about the need for an offense to be able to run the ball so that there is some sense of balance.
Whatever he’s doing, it ain’t working – UVA averaged a scant 117.9 yards per game and 3.1 yards per rushing attempt in 2023.
Pace, a sturdy (5’10”, 215) back who transferred in from Clemson before the 2023 season, seems like the ideal feature back, if Elliott and Kitchings want to have a lead guy.
Pace led the team in rushing attempts a year ago (125), though he averaged just 3.1 yards per carry.
It’s not because he’s a plodder – you might remember him turning on the jets on a 75-yard pitch-and-catch TD in the Week 2 loss to JMU.
With an experienced O line, this has to be the year that Virginia gets something going on the ground, and Pace seems to be the best guy to lead the way.
More UVA Football
- Elliott among the FBS coaches not happy at the new proposed football roster limit
- UVA Football coach Tony Elliott on tampering: ‘We’re going to recruit the right way’
- Can UVA Football win six games? One other question: why is the bar that low?
- UVA Football: Can the ‘Hoos get out to a 4-0 start? The schedule sets up nicely
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Chris Graham
