How Will Virginia Replace Star Linebacker Kam Robinson Who Is Out For The Rest Of The Season?

Virginia has a tough task trying to replace one of its best players on the team. Robinson was ruled out for the season after suffering a major knee injury. Robinson was second on the team with 64 tackles, two interceptions returned for touchdowns, two sacks, and a pass defensed.

Here is what head coach Tony Elliot said about his status earlier in the week.

"Yeah. Unfortunately for Kam, got some bad news on his knee, ACL. (He’s) going to have surgery here, so he'll be done for the rest of the season. But really grateful for all that he did to help the team get to this point. And I'm sure that the guys are going to rally around him and support him in his recovery. But it's an unfortunate situation of the game of football, but he'll be out this weekend and for the foreseeable future until he recovers from his surgery,” said head coach Tony Elliot.

Who will fill the void?

James Jackson will be a key player in helping fill the void. He is third on the team with 50 tackles. He also has three passes defensed and a fumble recovery. Maddox Marcellus will be another key player to watch, and he had 33 tackles this season. He is just coming back from injury.

"Yeah, so Maddox will be good to go,” said Elliot.”

Landon Danley will also see an uptick in his playing time and stepped in nicely a few weeks ago vs Duke after the injury. He finished with six tackles on defense and was a key piece in shutting down the running game. He will be leaned on a lot more moving forward.

"You saw last game he played versus Duke. He went right in there, ended up, I think, leading us in tackles or being tied for leading tackles in the game, coming in a reserve role. So it slowed down for him. He understands the process of preparation throughout the course of the week. His keys are becoming a little bit more known to him in terms of you're out there, you're trying to figure everything out. There's a lot of eye discipline that it takes, and you've seen the maturity and the growth from that standpoint,” said Elliot.

“Excited about him, his opportunity to have a bigger role, and then Maddox (Marcellus) will have to have a bigger role as well, with Kam (Robinson) being down. "

It will be a collective effort to replace a player of Robinson’s stature who was having an All-ACC caliber year. Virginia’s defense has been one of the best in the ACC this season and a top unit in the country. A big key in that has been the play of its linebackers week in and week out. Not just in the run game, but also in defending the pass, especially the middle of the field. They have some experience at the position, but will now need some of their role players to step up big and make plays consistently.

More Virginia Football News:

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•Virginia Cavaliers Release Depth Chart Ahead of Matchup vs Virginia Tech

•Virginia Linebacker Kam Robinson Out For The Rest Of The Season

•Predicting Where Virginia Will Land in the Latest CFP Rankings