Projecting the 2026 Team Captains For Virginia Football

For the first time under Coach Tony Elliott, Virginia decided to elect permanent in-season captains in 2025. Those captains were Chandler Morris, Sage Ennis, Jahmeer Carter and James Jackson —- all graduate players who have since exhausted eligibility.

So, if the Cavaliers decide to feature season-long captains again, they will all be first-time permanent Virginia captains. Elliott has yet to announce if there will be captains again or when they would be instituted — last year, the game captains rotated for the first couple of games.

The 2025 captains were elected by a team vote. According to Elliott, there were several players who received votes, which he called a sign of a healthy locker room. Once again, there could be more worthy captains than available spots, should Virginia go with four.

Based on team trends, there are a few contenders.

Offense: Beau Pribula, Noah Josey, McKale Boley or Xavier Brown

Obviously, if Pribula is the starting quarterback, he will garner heavy consideration for a captain patch. The quarterback role is synonymous with leadership. It is a near certainty that whoever starts under center would earn a captain spot. In-program experience is not a prerequisite for a quarterback to become a captain, as proven by Morris in 2025.

However, if there is a second offensive captain like last year, there are several contenders. Josey, Boley and Brown stand out as players who will have spent five years in the program. The two linemen have appeared in at least 40 games for Virginia. Throw Brown into the picture and the trio of veterans are some of Elliott’s favorites —- ask him and he would tell you — a status which was earned by exemplifying the traits of a team leader.

Defense: Fisher Camac, Brandyn Hillman or Ethan Minter

Unlike the offensive side of the ball, this defense does not have any notable contributors who are entering year five with the program. The defensive captains could be difficult to project, although Camac proved himself to be a leader on the defensive line, while the former Michigan Wolverine, Brandyn Hillman, stands out back deep along with the ever-underrated Ethan Minter. Consideration could also go to Jacobie Henderson or Jason Hammond.

A linebacker captain could be less likely given that Maddox Marcellus briefly entered the transfer portal and Kam Robinson has not been praised as a leader yet. A captain’s patch is earned by leadership, contagious grit and toughness, role modeling, an exemplary work ethic and team-building, not just who the best players are.

Other: Will Bettridge, Daniel Sparks

Bettridge and Sparks are both entering year five with the program and have etched their names into Virginia football’s history books. Although the Cavaliers did not have special teams captains last year, Bettridge and Sparks could both be deserving of a captain patch in their final seasons with the Cavaliers.

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