Cavalier Corner

August 2019

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AUGUST 2019 25 nation's fourth-best recruit at his position. He and high three-star recruit Ben Smiley pair to give UVA a solid haul inside in the class of 2019. OL Kariem Al Soufi — One of several foreign players on the roster, he played for the Paderborn Dolphins, an American foot- ball team in Germany. The 6-3, 335-pounder comes from a line of athletes, as his father played professional basketball in Syria and his brother was a professional soccer player in Germany. His size and strength add a significant boost to UVA's offensive line depth. WR Dorien Goddard — One of the three 2019 signees to enroll early, the 6-3, 220-pound receiver from Greenville, Tenn., arrived following a standout high school career. He helped Greeneville to the AAAA state championship with a 15-0 record while pulling in 78 receptions for 1,320 yards and 14 touchdowns. His region's co-offensive player of the year, he left after winning back-to-back titles as his school's record holder for single-sea- son receiving yards, career receptions, career receiving yards and career touchdowns. The Cavaliers needed big-bodied targets and cer- tainly got a versatile one in Goddard. RB Seneca Milledge — With Zaccheaus now pursuing a professional career, there's going to be a big void in the slot and that's likely where the 5-6, 160-pound dynamo ends up. An all-purpose back type, the Wa- hoos can use the Fort Myers, Fla., native all over the field including at running back and receiver. Rivals listed him as the No. 52 athlete available in the 2019 class. He graduated high school with 2,132 career rushing yards and 27 touchdowns, but also caught passes, played defense and even occasionally lined up under center. His athleticism was also evident on the track, where Milledge won the Class AA 100-me- ter state title and anchored the state record- setting 4x100 relay to a gold medal in 2019 despite battling a hamstring injury. That was one year after he claimed the state title in the long jump (he withdrew from the long jump in 2019 due to the hamstring injury). TOP QUESTION MARKS ENTERING FALL How will the offensive line shake out? This is a bit of a refrain year over year, but things are much steadier now that Menden- hall and his staff have recruited the position thoroughly. The offensive line room will be as full of healthy bodies as it has been in a year, and that should help translate on the field. A battle at center between redshirt second- year Tyler Fannin and classmate Victor Olu- watimi figures to set the table because if one of them wins the job conclusively, it allows UVA to use redshirt third-year Dillon Re- inkensmeyer — the second-highest-graded center in the ACC per Pro Football Focus last year — elsewhere. That could lead to a solid improvement in the run game, especially if the Colorado native ends up at guard. Who replaces Zaccheaus? We've mentioned several possibilities, but the reality is that it's going to have to be by committee. There's simply no way anyone is going to do in one season on their own what No. 4 did in 2018 en route to pil- ing up 1,141 yards from scrimmage. That being said, someone is going to get those reps and not only who that is but how Virginia uses its various assets will depend in part on how far along slot guys like Kelly and Kemp have come. How will the defensive front rotations stack up? A year ago, UVA was hoping true fresh- men on Grounds merely a month and change would be able to hold up over the course of a full season. Now, the program has a full deck once again in addition to the experience those young guys got last year. The Cavaliers will have a solid set of starters as well as plenty of depth in the rotation, including two dynamic first-years. Who is the punter? Lastly, the days of Lester Coleman man- ning the ship on the punt units are over and that means someone is going to have to take over. Unfortunately for the Wahoos, coming out of spring ball that player appeared to be kicker and kickoff specialist Brian Delaney. Mendenhall said then he wasn't sure how this would work out, but if the third-year was the best option he'd handle all of the duties. Still, one would think the search to lock down that role will be an important, al- beit less exciting, storyline to follow during fall camp. Delaney went 12 of 16 on field goals last season. Fourth-year linebacker Jordan Mack, UVA's top returning tackler with 66 stops in nine games last year, leads the way for a more experienced front seven. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time Aug. 31 at Pitt (ACCN) 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 William & Mary (ACCN) 8 p.m. Sept. 14 Florida State (ACCN) 7:30 p.m. Sept. 21 Old Dominion TBA Sept. 28 at Notre Dame (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 11 at Miami (ESPN) 8 p.m. Oct. 19 Duke TBA Oct. 26 at Louisville TBA Nov. 2 at North Carolina TBA Nov. 9 Georgia Tech TBA Nov. 23 Liberty TBA Nov. 29 Virginia Tech (ABC/ESPN) TBA ACCNE — ACC Network Extra

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