Ranking Each Virginia Football Position Group Following Spring Practice

Spring practice is over in Charlottesville and there is a lot to feel good about coming out of the last month if you are Virginia.

But what should UVA feel best about coming out of Spring? Where do they have questions?

Let's break it down.

1. Running Back

I am leaving spring football convinced that UVA is going to have one of the best running back groups in the ACC and that is not something that I would have predicted a month ago.

Now, I want to stress that these guys are going to have to show up in actual games for UVA, but the trio of Peyton Lewis, Jekail Middlebrook, and Solomon Beebe showcases this spring their versatility and big play ability. While they are not going to make headlines nationally, I think that this group has a sky high ceiling and is my top position for UVA coming out of spring.

2. Offensive Line

This should not come as a surprise if you follow UVA, but they had one of the better offensive lines in the ACC last season and they return the majority of their snaps from this group, as well as getting Monroe Mills back from injury.

McKale Boley (LT), Noah Josey (LG), Drake Metcalf (C), Makilan Thomas (RG), Monroe Mills (RT) is likely going to be the starting five for the Cavaliers and coupled with how highly I think of this running back room, there is certainly the blueprint for UVA to have one of the top rushing attacks in the ACC.

3. Linebackers

This is largely contingent on Kam Robinson coming back healthy, but if he does, he has a chance to be the ACC's defensive player of the year next season and a top draft pick on UVA.

One of the biggest wins this offseason for Virginia was keeping Maddox Marcellus in the fold and getting him back from the transfer portal. There are a couple of questions I have about the depth, but the top two should be among the ACC's best.

4. Defensive Line

I feel strongly about how good the top three position groups can be, but this is where there is a small break for me in terms of how good the positions are.

I think the defensive tackle pairing of Jason Hammond and Anthony Britton has a chance to be strong and why I think that UVA is going to have a strong run defense. On the edge, Fisher Camac is one of my picks for breakout player, while Matthew Fobbs-White and Nnanna Anyanwu have impressed this spring as well.

5. Quarterback

Beau Pribula and Eli Holstein have been locked in a battle all spring for the starting quarterback job for UVA and while no starter has been explicitly declared, it does feel like Pribula is in the lead.

The good news for Virginia is that no matter who the starter is, they are going to have experience. The buzz coming out of spring camp is that Pribula's ability to be a dual-threat quarterback is going to add a new dimension to this offense and coupled with the talent of the running back room and experienced offensive line, this could be a a very good team when it comes to running the football.

6. Wide Receiver

Wide receiver was lower on this list for me heading into Spring, but I am more optimistic about the potential of this group after.

Rico Flores has been as advertised this spring and Da'Shawn Martin was one of the players who had the best spring practices, but it does not stop there. Dillon Newton-Short, Kam Courtney, and TyLyric Coleman all stood out this spring as well.

Experience is still a question mark with this group, but they made enough plays this spring to where it should not be alarming.

7. Tight End

If Virginia can have some players step up and add depth to this position, I think it can be farther up the list.

Dakota Twitty seems to be a forgotten name when it comes to this team, but he was playing very well before getting injured last season. Players like John Rogers and Connor Cox are likely going to be directly behind Twitty and could form a strong unit, but we will just have to wait and see.

8. Secondary

Do I think this group is going to be bad this year? No, but I do have the most questions about it following the losses of Antonio Clary, Devin Neal, Ja'Son Prevard, and Emmanuel Karnley.

Donovan Platt is back, Corey Costner returns, and UVA made several additions in the portal during this offseason, but this is a group that I am going to have to wait and see play before I can trust them. They are going to get a nice first test this August when they face NC State and quarterback CJ Bailey.

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