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SUMMER 2024 23 Before spring practice began, Muskett and Colandrea met with Elliott, who told them to focus on improving. "He said, 'We just want to see you guys go out and play football,'" Muskett said. "And so that's kind of been my mindset, whether I'm taking reps with the first team, second team or all freshmen out there." "We're both just coming in and compet- ing, and that's the same thing that hap- pened last year," Colandrea said. "We just both came to work and competed. And we've really never just thought about who's going to start, this and that. It's just both of us competing, doing our job, and just help- ing this offense go win games." Muskett "understands that he needs Col- andrea," Elliott said, "and Colandrea is now starting to understand that he needs Tony, because competition brings the best out of both of those guys … I think their relationship is continuing to strengthen, because now they understand that to be the best you got to have somebody there to push you." The quarterbacks will have the benefit of an experienced offensive line this fall, which wasn't the case in 2023. Five linemen re- turn who started at least five games apiece for the Hoos last year: graduate student center Brian Stevens, fourth-year guards Ty Furnish and Noah Josey, and third-year tackles McKale Boley and Blake Steen. Also back is graduate student tackle Jimmy Christ, who started two games in 2023. Tight ends put up modest receiving statis- tics in Elliott's first seasons at UVA, but Ennis and Neville figure to be attractive targets, and returning starter Sackett Wood Jr., a graduate student, is a capable blocker who caught 9 passes for 141 yards last season. Nev- ille caught 62 passes for 698 yards and 8 touchdowns in his three seasons at Harvard. At tailback, fifth-year Kobe Pace, who had 382 yards rushing and 176 yards receiving last season, heads a group that also includes second-years Noah Vaughn and Donte Haw- thorne, and third-year Jack Griese. The most productive Cavalier last season, on either side of the ball, was record-setting wideout Malik Washington, who caught 110 passes for 1,426 yards and 9 touchdowns. Washington is pursuing an NFL career, but Virginia has a wealth of options at wideout this year, starting with 6-foot-4, 220-pound fourth-year Malachi Fields. Fields, who had 58 receptions for 811 yards and 5 touchdowns last year, is now the "alpha" in that position group, Muskett said. "He checks every box." Other returning wideouts with enormous promise include third-year JR Wilson and second-year Suderian Harrison, who flashed his playmaking ability as a rookie last year. And then there are the transfers, a group led by Tyree, who in 49 games with Notre Dame totaled 3,284 all-purpose yards (1,161 rushing, 945 receiving, 119 on punt returns and 1,059 on kickoff returns). "I don't know if anybody's going to pro- duce another year like Malik," offensive coordinator Des Kitchings said, "but if we could collectively put up those numbers and translate it into wins, we'd all be happy." Injuries ravaged the defense last season, when the Cavaliers allowed an average of 409.3 yards per game. If defensive coordina- tor John Rudzinski's group can stay healthy, the numbers should be much better this fall. "We focused throughout the spring on being fast, intelligent and tough," Rudzinski said, "and our guys did a nice job of grow- ing in all three areas." After weighing their options after last season, graduate student tackle Jahmeer Carter and graduate student end Chico Bennett Jr., and sixth-year ends Kam Butler and Ben Smiley III all decided to return in 2024, and their presence gives Virginia one of the nation's most experienced defensive lines. Butler and Bennett, when healthy, are superb pass rushers, and that was an area in which Virginia struggled last season. Three linemen who gained valuable expe- rience as true first-years last season — end Mekhi Buchanan, and tackles Jason Ham- mond and Anthony Britton — will also be in the rotation up front. At linebacker, fourth-year James Jackson and second-year Kam Robinson are All-ACC candidates. Jackson was second on the team in tackles last year, with 80, and Robinson was third with 71. Moreover, Robinson intercepted 2 passes, 1 of which he returned for touchdown, and was named a Freshman All-American. In the secondary, sixth-year safety Antonio Clary, a starter in 2022, is back after miss- ing last season with an ankle injury, and he'll form a talented tandem with fourth- year Jonas Sanker. Last season, Sanker led Virginia with 107 tackles and was named to the All-ACC first team. With Clary out, second-year Caleb Hardy played a significant role as a rookie last season, and he adds depth at safety. An- other safety to watch is Thomas, a graduate student who stands 6-foot-4 and also can play linebacker. "He's a giant man that can make a ton of plays," Rudzinski said. "He did it all spring long. He's going to do a bunch of it in the ACC." Virginia's top returning cornerbacks are graduate student Malcolm Greene and second-year Dre Walker, both of whom joined the program last year: Greene as a transfer from Clemson and Walker as a true first-year. The Cavaliers are counting on con- tributions from transfers Smith, Shine and third-year Jam Jackson at that position, too. "There's always work to be done," Rudzin- ski said. "At the same time, I'm really happy to see some new guys be able to be infused into the program that have been really, re- ally productive." " … Talent doesn't win alone. You've got to be a team. That's my job, to create that environment. And I think that we've got guys that are bought into what we're trying to establish here from a team- concept standpoint." HEAD COACH TONY ELLIOTT 2024 UVA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time (ET) Aug. 31 Richmond (ACCNX) 6 p.m. Sept. 7 at Wake Forest* (ESPN2) 7 p.m. Sept. 14 Maryland (ACCN) 8 p.m. Sept. 21 at Coastal Carolina TBA Oct. 5 Boston College* TBA Oct. 12 Louisville* TBA Oct. 19 at Clemson* TBA Oct. 26 North Carolina* TBA Nov. 9 at Pitt* TBA Nov. 16 at Notre Dame (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 23 SMU* TBA Nov. 30 at Virginia Tech* TBA * ACC game; ACCNX — ACC Network Extra