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APRIL 2023 27 Shaw's best teams at Stanford were known for their powerful offensive lines and productive running games. Those are areas in which Elliott and offensive coordinator Des Kitchings want the Wahoos to improve, and they don't need to convince Heffernan that a potent running game is valuable. "If you want to consistently win in col- lege football, you have to be able to run the ball," Heffernan said. "There's never a bad day to run the football, whether it's raining or snowing. When you get into late-season games, where you're playing in Boston or something like that, the ability to run the football is always really important. "That came up certainly early in my interview process, where they said, 'This is something we're committed to.'" The Hoos lost their top six offensive line- men from their 2021 team, and there's been additional turnover in that group since the end of last season. Jonathan Leech and Derek Devine have given up football, and two other starters — John Paul Flores and Logan Taylor — transferred to Louisville and Boston College, respectively. "All those things happened before I got here," Heffernan said, "and I don't dwell much on what I can't control. And so, this is the group that I've got, and I'm excited to have these guys. I think they're young and they're hungry, and so there's definitely some benefit to that. "Guys are excited to have a significant role on the team, to play a lot of snaps." Offensive tackle Ugonna Nnanna, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound transfer from the Univer- sity of Houston, enrolled at UVA as a fourth- year in January, and 6-6, 285-pound Cole Surber, a senior at Patriot High in Northern Virginia, will join the program this summer. The Cavaliers' returning linemen include third-year center Ty Furnish, second-year tackle McKale Boley, third-year guard Noah Josey, third-year center Jestus Johnson III, second-year tackle Houston Curry, second- year guard Noah DeMeritt, third-year tackle Charlie Patterson, second-year guard Blake Steen and second-year tackle Snoop Leota- Amaama. In addition, third-year Jack Witmer has moved from tight end to offensive tackle. RECEIVING CORPS IS 'HUNGRY TO WORK' Mims' receiving corps has changed dramatically since last season, too, partly because of the tragedy that shook the UVA community in November. Three players were shot and killed on Nov. 13 after returning to Grounds from a class field trip: defen- sive end D'Sean Perry and wideouts Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler. Three other receivers — Keytaon Thompson, Dontayvion Wicks and Billy Kemp, who combined for 99 catches last season — have moved on. Kemp transferred to Nebraska after graduat- ing from UVA, and Thompson and Wicks are pursuing pro careers. Returning wideouts include third-year Mal- achi Fields, second-year Sean "J.R." Wilson, fourth-year Demick Starling, third-year Ethan Davies. Two other receivers enrolled at UVA in January: graduate transfer Malik Washington (Northwestern) and first-year Jaden Gibson. Second-year receiver Dakota Twitty will miss the spring as he continues to recover from a knee injury, but he should be ready for train- ing camp in August, Mims said. The Hoos started spring practice March 14 and the spring game is set for April 15 at Scott Stadium. "I'm excited about this group," Mims said. "I think we've got a lot of guys that are ea- ger and hungry to work, to kind of get their name out there, just good kids. I think that we have a talented room. "It's going to take a lot of work from now until the season, there's no doubt, and that's going to be the case every single year." UVA's receivers were probably the strength of the team in 2021, but they struggled with drops last year. The returning wideouts are determined to make amends. "I think this group is ready to take owner- ship for everything that happened last year," Mims said. "We didn't play up to our poten- tial. I think that they know that, so the work- manlike attitude that they've already taken since being back has been so encouraging. "It's gonna take time. It's gonna take a lot of work and a lot of practice to correct some of the stuff that happened this past year, but the great thing is, each and every day you get a brand-new opportunity, and what they do with that opportunity, what we do with that opportunity, that's what's going to matter most." Elliott isn't the only UVA coach with whom Mims has a longstanding relationship. Kitchings was Furman's tight ends coach during Mims' freshman season there. Fur- man's head coach during Mims' college career was Bobby Lamb, whose son, Taylor Lamb, is Virginia's quarterbacks coach. Moreover, Mims coached at Presbyterian College with Joey Orck, who's now an of- fensive analyst at UVA, and Mims knew UVA defensive line coach Kevin Downing as well before coming to Charlottesville. After graduating from Furman, Mims pursued a professional career, signing free- agent contracts with the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011 and the CFL's Montreal Alouettes in 2012. Elliott joined the staff at Clemson, his alma mater, in 2011, but he and Mims stayed in touch over the years. "We've had a pretty good relationship ever since the day that we met," Mims said, "so whether it was me working Clemson camp in the summers and going to see him, or just talking on the phone and checking in with one another, we've stayed in constant contact for a long time now." Mims coached wide receivers at Presby- terian in 2016 and '17, at Tennessee Tech in 2018, and at UT Chattanooga from 2019-21. As an analyst, Mims was not allowed to work on the field with players, "So I was heavy into the game-planning, film break- down and opponent breakdown stuff," he said. "That was the majority of what I did last year. "The good thing for me is that I've been on the field before, for the majority of my career. So, stepping into this role is not necessarily new for me. "It's just kind of getting back on the bike again." Mims, who served as the Cavaliers' senior offensive analyst in 2022, was promoted to wide receivers coach Jan. 30. (Photo by Jim Daves/ courtesy UVA)