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OCTOBER 2021 15 BY SCOTT FITZGERALD T hrough the first five weeks of the season, the Virginia offense was operating on all cylinders. The Cav- aliers were averaging 398.0 pass- ing yards per game, second among all FBS schools. In addition, their 526.6 yards per game of total offense ranked sev- enth in the country. Inside all the monster numbers being churned out by the Cavaliers' attack, it all starts with third-year quarterback Brennan Armstrong, who was ranked second nation- ally in both passing yards per game (394.6) and total offense (408.0), and tied for sev- enth in passing touchdowns (14). It all ends, however, with a Virginia receiving corps that is putting up staggering statistics of its own. The interesting part — and potentially the most valuable aspect — to Virginia's high- flying offense has been the depth that the wide receiver room has showcased. Through games played Oct. 2, five Cavaliers were among the top 24 receiving yardage leaders in the ACC. Second-year Dontayvion Wicks led the way for the Wahoos with 535 yards, which ranked second in the league and sev- enth in the country. The national media is starting to take no- tice of the Cavalier targets. Prior to the sea- son, Billy Kemp IV was named to the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, an honor annu- ally bestowed on the nation's best receiver. Past award recipients include some of the best pass catchers in NFL history, such as Calvin Johnson, Randy Moss, Michael Crab- tree, Amari Cooper and Larry Fitzgerald Jr. One of the initial midseason additions to the list, Wicks now finds himself amongst the nation's elite pass catchers as well. Virginia is the only program in the ACC and one of seven schools nationally with mul- tiple players on the 59-man list. Not to be left out of the national conver- sation is Jelani Woods, a transfer from Okla- homa State. The hulking 6-foot-7 tight end is an impactful presence at the line of scrim- mage and has proved to be an integral part of the Cavaliers' passing game. Prior to the season, Woods was included on the watch list for the John Mackey Award, which recog- nizes the best tight end in college football. It did not take long for Woods to be a threat in UVA's passing game. For his five- catch, 122-yard performance against Illinois in Week 2, Woods was named the ACC's Wide Receiver of the Week, and he ranked 13th nationally among tight ends in receiv- ing yards (247) as of Oct. 4. "There are a lot of good football players that have come to UVA, especially at the [wide] receiver position," receivers coach Marques Hagans said. "To me personally, [it's gratifying to see] the world taking notice that you can come to UVA, get a great education and you can play receiver at a high level. "It's really important to me that the guys have success, because it's good for them, it's good for our program and it's good for the people across the country to see." The abundance of options has provided a real balance in the passing attack. Arm- strong found nine or more receivers in each of UVA's first four games, including a season-high 11 against North Carolina. A total of 15 Cavaliers caught a pass in the first five games of the year; even Armstrong has a reception to his credit. He was the recipient of an 18-yard catch-and-run on a throw from Wicks against Illinois. THE COACH The emergence of Virginia's wide receivers this season is not a surprise but rather a culmination of hard work over time. Cavalier wideouts under Fralin Family head coach Bronco Mendenhall and specifically Hagans have thrived in recent memory. Any longtime UVA fan can go on about Hagans' exploits as a quarterback in Charlottesville from 2002-05, but his tutelage as the Cavaliers' wide receivers coach has proven invaluable. Hagans first joined the Virginia coaching staff as a graduate assistant working with the offense and then became the program's wide receivers coach under Mike London in 2013 and has remained at that post since. When looking at the all-time receptions leaders at UVA, eight have been coached by Hagans, including the program's catch king, current Atlanta Falcons receiver Olamide Zaccheaus. "It's hard work and playing for each other," Hagans said. "We pride ourselves on doing all the dirty work — blocking [and] playing special teams." Hagans, who ranks in the top 10 in Virginia history in career passing yards, touchdown passes and total offense, has opened the line of communication between quarterbacks and wide receivers. He isn't shy about communicating out- side his position group to improve the over- all workflow of the offense. He's frequently asking the team's quarterbacks, "Is this what you guys want? Tell me what you guys see so we can make sure we're doing what you expect." Pivotal to the offense's success, the relationship between a quarterback and a wide receiver has many moving parts but ultimately comes down to trust. The slight- est variance in rhythm or timing in route running can be the difference between a completed and failed pass, and Hagans has the knowledge of both ends of a successful connection. "I try and make sure my guys are doing everything that they need to earn the trust of the quarterback and be where they're supposed to be so they never fool the quar- terback," Hagans said. "It's fun coaching receivers. I actually genuinely love it." THE CULTURE It's often said that culture breeds suc- cess. The student-athletes in the wide re- ceiver room have five requirements that are listed in order of importance. The first is that he must be tough and the second is that he must be accountable. "The first two basically say that mentally HELPING HELPING HANDS HANDS A Talented And Versatile Group Of Pass Catchers Has Elevated The Cavaliers' Offense Oklahoma State graduate transfer Jelani Woods was named the ACC Receiver of the Week after posting a career-high 122 receiving yards against Illinois, the most for a Cavalier tight end since 2005. (Photo courtesy UVA)