3 burning questions surrounding Virginia's running back room entering fall camp

With three incoming transfers joining Xavier Brown and Xay Davis in Charlottesville, the coaching staff has some sorting out to do in fall camp.

Xavier Brown | Virginia Football

Virginia has done an excellent job over the past two seasons of going out and finding talented ball-carriers in the transfer portal, and that continued this offseason with Peyton Lewis, Jekail Middlebrook, and Solomon Beebe joining the team.

Now, Tony Elliott and the rest of the offensive staff have to find ways to get all of these players touches in 2026, in addition to Xavier Brown, who decided to return to UVA this year.

With that being said, here are three important questions surrounding the Cavaliers' current running back room:

Will Peyton Lewis or Jekail Middlebrook pull away?

Tennessee running back Peyton Lewis (27) during a game between Tennessee and Kent State at Neyland Stadium, in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. Tennessee defeated Ken State 71-0. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It’s assumed right now that multiple ball-carriers (Lewis and Middlebrook in this case) will have a big role in 2026, but that was also the assumption last season after J’Mari Taylor transferred in. During fall camp in 2025, Taylor was splitting work with Harrison Waylee and Xavier Brown in the backfield, and everybody thought that it would stay that way throughout the 2025 season.

It’s pretty safe to say that J’Mari Taylor acting as a complete workhorse back wasn’t on UVA fans’ bingo cards in week one.

Though both Lewis and Middlebrook "should" be in a 1A/1B-type time share in the backfield, don't be surprised if only one of them ends up dominating the carries in 2026. Hopefully both players will continue to show off in fall camp like they did in the spring, but seeing Peyton Lewis handle 80% of the work against North Carolina State is a very real possibility.

How will OC Des Kitchings use Xavier Brown in 2026?

Nov 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Virginia Cavaliers running back Xavier Brown (0) runs on his way to scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Xavier Brown is undoubtedly one of the most explosive players in the running back room heading into fall camp, but how will Virginia’s staff use him this year?

There’s a chance that he’ll be the main third-down back in 2026, which would make sense, seeing as he’s been very effective as a pass-catcher out of the backfield in the past.

Whatever the case, Brown is a very good player, and there’s a reason that he returned to UVA this season. Coach Kitchings most likely told him that he’d be involved in some capacity this season, or else he would’ve transferred elsewhere.

Can UVA still develop Xay Davis?

Virginia Cavaliers running back Xay Davis (25) dives forward during the third quarter of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium Saturday December 27, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. Virginia won 13-7. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Davis looked pretty good as a true freshman last spring, and then he did well in the bowl game against Missouri in December. He was a higher-end 3-star recruit in last year’s class, and he showed great potential in year one.

The real question is whether or not the team can continue developing him in 2026 despite having 3-4 players ahead of him on the depth chart. However, Davis could be seen as the No.3 pure runner on the roster behind Lewis and Middlebrook. Solomon Beebe and Xavier Brown are more third-down specialists than true early-down options.

The coaching staff likes Davis quite a bit, so it's probably in their best interest to keep him happy and find ways to develop him further behind Lewis and Middlebrook in 2026.