Three Biggest Questions Facing Virginia After The Spring Game

The spring has come and gone in Charlottesville with some players raising their stock and gett better in the process. However, there are still major question marks for the Cavaliers. Let’s take a closer look at the questions facing Virginia.

1. Will there be more clarity around the quarterback position?

There are still question marks around the quarterback position involving a quarterback competition between Beau Pribula and Eli Holstein. Spring has come and gone, and there is still no real clarity on who the starter will be. Both put on up and down performances on Saturday, and nobody emerged as the clear frontrunner. Pribula is a next-level athlete and is great at extending plays, but he has to be better with his eyes and not always take the risks. Holstein lost his starting job to injuries at Pittsburgh and is looking to get back on track. With the uneven performances, it does raise concern if the Cavaliers will get enough from the quarterback position in the fall. Pribula's ability as an athlete could be a thing to watch if that separates him from Holstein.

“I think he's a dynamic athlete that has a lot of confidence extending plays. I thought he did a solid job, too, of sitting in there and trying to find his progression and driving the ball when he needed to. So that's the area where we're just going to continue to uh to help him evolve and develop because we know that he can run. We know that he likes to run, and we know that he's a dynamic guy that has a ton of confidence in doing it. So, um, but I think also, in spring practice, he needs to be able to do it a little bit without getting hit.

So, so you teeter on, okay, how much do you make him sit in there? Uh, you don't want to take away what makes him great. So, you got to let him play his game, but I thought he was, and then also saw some things just from a demeanor standpoint uh that were good to see. The way he was, you know, talking to the offense and the way he was supporting his guys on the sideline. You know, those are the things that I don't think people see that help us as coaches know more, so like what the temperament is of a young man,” said Elliot.

2. Will injuries to the offensive line this spring affect the offense?

Virginia had a number of injuries on the offensive line this spring, and they did return a lot of players who have played together, but the biggest thing is whether this group will be as good as last year. There were a couple of new additions, and will the summer and fall camp be enough time for it to jell so they can play at a high level? They are going to need the offensive line to play well, especially with the uncertainty at the quarterback position, new running backs coming into the fold, and a trio of running backs playing together for the first time. It certainly won’t be easy, and there have to be questions about the offensive line, which wasn’t the healthiest this spring.

"Today up front uh Drake knee a little bit of swelling, so I wanted to be safe there. That's why you didn't see uh Drake Metcalf today, but he's had a really good spring. So, he wasn't out there, which is great for Grant. And then, um (Noah) Josey will be back. We'll get Xavier Brown back. So, we're going to get some more pieces back."

3. What will the depth be at the tight end position?

We saw a thorn in the side for Virginia was the tight end spot, and despite Sage Ennis playing at a high level last season for the Cavaliers, the depth was porous. Virginia couldn’t have Ennis get injured, or there would be major concern. Part of that was Dakota Twitty going down, and he is finally getting healthy for Virginia. Behind him will likely be John Rogers as the backup, but outside of those two, there is a mix of veterans who haven’t played a lot and inexperienced players. They are going to need more production from this position. The depth there will be something to watch to see if they can get more out of it than just Dakota Twitty

“Dakota's you know, goes down and so you lose the ability to have some 12 personnel. So, some of your short yardage thoughts are impacted. Then also just your ability to put pressure on opposing defenses by being out there and staying in that personnel to to kind of dictate maybe their heavy personnel being on the field, or maybe you can get a matchup advantage in the passing game. Then, now it puts a lot of pressure on Sage (Ennis) now Sage is like the one-man wrecking crew. He can't get hurt. Then he gets knicked up and then John's in there and John (Rogers) playing and he's giving us everything that he has, but he's still a young guy that's trying to learn on the fly. It took a toll, you know, on us.

I think you saw it in that Louisville game just kind of how it deflated the unit a little bit, and then it took us a while to kick it back into back into gear.So, uh we look at that position group as the core of the offense, right? Like, none of us likes to work the core. Like, nobody likes to do sit-ups and all that kind of stuff. But, Lord, when that trust me, I know. When that core when that When something's wrong with that core, though, you know it. All right? Something's wrong with the core. Like, you feel it. The whole body is impacted. So, that's kind of what that unit is. So, whenever you lose the ability to be full strength uh in your core, it impacts the rest of the body,” said Elliot.

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