Most Glaring Concern Virginia Football Still Hasn't Solved (And How it Can)

It began with Tony Elliott reprimanding Da'Shawn Martin for a lack of effort on one pattern on the first day of training camp. It continued through Monday, when Virginia's head coach spent time in practice personally working with his receivers, correcting small flaws in their approach.

Ten days before the Cavaliers welcome N.C. State for the opener of a season tinged with high expectations, concerns still abound about an almost completely new group of wideouts.

"I think that was a group that probably had the biggest questions just because you lost a ton of production at that position and a lot of new guys trying to learn the system," Elliott told reporters after practice Monday. "It's been challenging at times, just with whatever wideouts and during fall camp, there's always a hamstring, a quad, or something that keeps guys out. But overall, I think understanding of the system, we've made improvements."

A year ago, Chandler Morris often had his choice of targets: Trell Harris (59 receptions for 847 yards), Cam Ross (53 for 543), Jahmal Edrine (46 for 564), and running back J'Mari Taylor (43 for 253). They helped Virginia establish the kind of offensive balance most coaches dream of: 239 yards passing per game, 178 rushing en route to an 11-3 season.

All are now elsewhere. Harris transferred to Oklahoma; Ross (Denver) and Taylor (Jacksonville) are in NFL training camps; and Edrine was dismissed from the team. Tight end Sage Ennis, who matched Harris' team-high five touchdown catches on just 13 total receptions, also graduated.

To replace them, Elliott's staff brought in notable transfers Rico Flores Jr. (UCLA), Martin (Kent State), Jacquon Gibson (UMass), and Tyson Davis (Central Michigan) to join holdover Kam Courtney.

Toss in promising freshmen Dylan Cope and DaMari Carter, and there's clearly talent in the room. But of the candidates for starting spots, only Gibson has ever been the go-to guy on his college team -- and that was for a winless UMass squad that was widely considered the worst FBS program in the country in 2025.

It hasn't helped that Flores -- who's considered the most likely alpha receiver -- missed some time in camp with a sore hamstring. According to Elliott, Martin and Cope also struggled with minor injuries that limited their availability. That gave them fewer chances to build timing and rapport with new starting quarterback Beau Pribula.

Which is why Elliott wanted his receivers to execute when they were on the practice field -- and why he was frustrated when they sometimes didn't.

"You saw we were really, really focusing hard on the technique, technique work, and really getting the guys to hone in there," Elliott said.

Elliott mentioned Tyliric Coleman, a senior with six total receptions in his first three seasons at Virginia, as a player who took advantage of practice opportunities while his more heralded teammates watched from the sideline.

Coaches love to watch veteran players who have waited their turn succeed, but the mere fact that Coleman has a chance to join the rotation shows that his teammates haven't been able to make the progress his coach expected.

Elliott and offensive coordinator Des Kitchings espouse a strong running game, and with a veteran offensive line and a deep backfield, the Cavaliers should be able to deliver. But offensive balance is vital to victory, and with the opener approaching quickly, the passing attack still hasn't caught up.

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