Three Virginia Players To Watch On Saturday vs Wake Forest

Gameday is slowly approaching for the Cavaliers, who have another opportunity in front of them. They will host Wake Forest at home at Scott Stadium and have a chance to advance to 9-1. Virginia is ranked No. 14 in the country and has its highest ranking in the College Football Playoff rankings in program history. Let’s take a look at some of the key players to watch on Saturday for the Cavaliers.

1. LB Kam Robinson

Latest — Nov 1, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; Virginia Cavaliers linebacker Kam Robinson (5) reacts after sacking California Golden Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (not pictured) during the second quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Robinson is probably one of the most fun players to watch in the conference. He is certainly putting together an All-ACC caliber season. He has 54 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions returned for touchdowns, one pass defensed, and one fumble recovery. Robinson has three games this season where he recorded 10 or more tackles. In Virginia’s recent game against California, he put together another stellar performance. Robinson finished with six tackles, an interception returned for a touchdown (which sealed the game), and a half sack. He has the second-highest Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade on the team in coverage, posting an 82.3 grade. Despite the field success, Robinson has continued to be an excellent leader off the field and has led by example this season.

"I think it just brings confirmation to the message that we're preaching to the guys in the state that you don't need to leave the state of Virginia to accomplish any of your goals. If you desire to be an All-American and compete for a conference championship, you can do that at Virginia. Graduate from one of the most prestigious institutions in the country, and you can do that at Virginia. Prepare yourself to play in the National Football League; you can do that here at Virginia. And then also, hopefully, he'll be a sounding board for all of the young men in the state, who will also be treated the right way when they come here at the University of Virginia,” said head coach Tony Elliot.

“You're not going to be used; you're going to be poured into all areas of your life, you're going to be developed holistically. Because we care about what your dreams are, and we also care about what your future looks like beyond the game of football."

2. DL Jacob Holmes

Holmes is finally back fully healthy after dealing with some injuries in the spring and during fall camp. He’s continued to put together good games in his past three outings. Holmes recorded five tackles vs Washington State, four tackles vs North Carolina, and three tackles vs California. On the season, he has 21 tackles and 2.5 sacks for the Cavaliers. He is already on pace to post career highs in major categories this season with only three games left for the Cavaliers. Holmes has been another bright spot on the interior of the defensive line, and head coach Tony Elliot has continued to lean on him and his productivity.

"Yeah, the benefit on the interior is, man, when those ends can force him to step up, then you've got somebody there to take down the quarterback. And in terms of Jacob, what we're seeing is what we saw flashes of when he came in. He missed some time in the spring with an injury, and then he got hurt early in camp. And so then [Holmes] kind of had to come back off, I think it was an ankle in camp and a hamstring in the spring. But now you're starting to see what we saw on tape, just some suddenness, some quickness, some pass rush moves on the inside. I think coming off the injury, we had him in a sub package until he got fully healthy. And now we can play him in some more base-down situations, which helps."

3. DB Corey Costner

Costner has continued to see an elevated role in the defense this season and has taken full advantage as a freshman. Costner has recorded 13 tackles, two passes defensed, and a forced fumble. He recorded his first career interception against California last weekend. Costner is one of the higher graded members on the team this season, per Pro Football Focus. He comes in with a 74.0 defensive grade. He is even better in run defense, posting a 78.6 grade, which is fourth fourth-highest on the team. Costner also has grades of 74.1 tackling and 71.2 coverage. He’s been an impressive player this season for the Cavaliers and has continued to be called upon to make plays. He has delivered so far.

"Right. So first of all, very quiet. Corey doesn't say a whole lot. So he was an interesting one to recruit. Because you never knew what he was thinking. But you watch him on tape, he was just dynamic,” said Elliot.

“He played multiple positions. He was an offensive guy, defensive guy. You knew that he had a burst and some long speed. And then he gets here, and you really get to see his body start to transform. And then you start to see him out on the practice field. And man, he can do some different things, some very dynamic things."

"Physicality to be able to play the nickel spot, you know, because we were thinking okay, safety corner, you can play any gas and versatility to play corner, so you didn't really know all of that until you got him, but you saw some really, really, really intriguing traits in the recruiting process. But he's a quiet guy, but man, he's a fierce football player. He loves to play. He's learning how to prepare week in and week out to give himself an opportunity. So I'm excited for him and his future, and just the competition that he creates there, too. That's great competition for JP (Ja’son Prevard), right, to push him. Because we're going to need both of those guys to play at a high level at that position to get to where we wanna go."

More Virginia Football News:

•Three Takeaways From Virginia’s Placement in the First Round of the CFP Rankings

•Virginia Football Makes History In First College Football Playoff Rankings Release

•Where Would Virginia Play If The College Football Playoff Started Today?

•What do the Advanced Analytics Say About Virginia's Matchup vs Wake Forest?