Christian Charles, a safety at Tennessee, has committed to the UVA Football program off the transfer portal.
NARRATOR: And there was much rejoicing.
I, admittedly, have been lazy in analyzing the defensive secondary needs, and here I’m admitting it’s because, I’m skeered of what I’ll find out.
This position group is losing a lot – Jonas Sanker, Kempton Shine, Kendren Smith, Corey Thomas, all of whom logged at least 553 snaps last season.
And then there’s the uncertain status of Jam Jackson (760 snaps in 2024), who suffered a knee injury in spring practice.
I don’t wanna, but I guess I hafta.
First, to Charles, and what he can do
Christian Charles started his career at Tennessee as a cover corner, getting 433 snaps at corner in 2022, before suffering an Achilles injury that forced him to miss the 2023 season.
The shift to safety saw Charles getting on the field for 240 snaps in 2024, splitting between the box and free safety.
The counting numbers: 26 tackles, six missed tackles, seven receptions allowed on nine pass targets.
He’s listed at 6’1”, 200, so, good size for a safety.
Now, to what we have: At safety
Antonio Clary is back for his John Blutarsky year.
If Clary is healthy, big if there, given his track record, but when he’s healthy, he’s good – he got himself a 79.6 Pro Football Focus grade last year before he got hurt, again, with 43 tackles, four missed tackles, and nine receptions allowed on 16 pass targets.
Devin Neal, a Louisville transfer, had 71 tackles, four INTs and six pass breakups on 662 snaps in 2023, with a 67.3 PFF grade, then played four games with the Cardinals in 2024 before deciding to hit the portal.
Caleb Hardy, an in-house guy, was in on 171 snaps at UVA in 2024, with eight tackles, two PBUs, and a 52.2 PFF grade.
Finally, another in-house guy, Ethan Minter, who was in on 130 snaps last season, with 18 tackles, one INT, and a 63.8 PFF grade.
Now, to what we have: At cornerback
The guy who excites me at corner is Jordan Robinson, a big (6’4”) cover corner who played two years at Kentucky before transferring to Cincinnati, a Big 12 school, ahead of the 2024 season.
At Cincy, Robinson was on the field for 228 snaps, 111 of them pass-coverage snaps.
On the pass-coverage snaps, he allowed eight catches on 14 targets for 42 yards.
Robinson also had 20 tackles, 12 in the run game, with a run-defense grade from PFF at 90.7.
Another transfer to mention here: Ja’son Prevard (Morgan State) was in on 521 snaps in 2024, with 24 tackles, four PBUs, one INT, and a 60.6 PFF grade.
In-house guy Dre Walker was limited to 66 snaps in parts of four games last season due to injuries, but he logged 268 snaps in 2023, and got a 60.8 PFF grade for his work in his freshman season.
Needs
There’s good talent here, just not a lot of depth, which is the glaring issue.
The secondary needs to be an obvious priority on the portal going forward.
To a degree, man, seriously, we just need warm bodies.
Wonder how much NIL money we have left …
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Chris Graham
