The Virginia special teams units were, officially, just so-so in 2025 – Pro Football Focus ranked the UVA Football unit 49th nationally; the ESPN Football Power Index had us 61st.
That’s top third to middle of the pack.
I’m not sure why the rankings were so low, honestly.
The placekicker, Will Bettridge, is solid – 49-of-49 on extra points and 24-of-30 on field goal tries in 2025; the only issue being, he can be hit-or-miss on longer kicks (8-of-13 on kicks of 40-plus yards).
The punter, Daniel Sparks, also solid – he averaged 47.2 yards per punt last season.
Punt coverage was an issue – 19 of his 37 punts were returned, for an average of 12.4 yards per.
Maybe this is where the efficiency numbers took a hit?
All three of the kicking specialists return – Bettridge, Sparks and the kickoff specialist, Elijah Slibeck.
The field goal guy is on the Lou Groza preseason watch list, and the punter better damn well be on the Ray Guy preseason watch list, considering his numbers.
This is a good head start for the 2026 Virginia team, right?
“There’s obviously a ton of experience, but they still gotta go out there and do their job,” said Keith Gaither, the special teams coordinator, at a media availability after practice on Monday.
The return game is going to need some work, with the guy who did the bulk of the work last season, Cam Ross (269 yards and a kickoff return TD, 170 yards on punt returns), out of eligibility.
Gaither told reporters that tailback Solomon Beebe and wideouts Jacquon Gibson and Da’Shawn Martin are the top candidates on kickoff return, with tailbacks Noah Vaughn and Peyton Lewis pushing that first group for reps.
Sophomore wideout Josiah Abdullah, per Gaither, has been the top performer on punt returns in camp, though, as the coach notes, “he just hasn’t had any game reps.”
Slot receiver Kam Courtney has limited experience – one 38-yard kick return and one punt return, and two fair catches, in 2025.
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Chris Graham
