Virginia Football 2025 Position Preview: Cornerbacks

The Cavaliers' cornerback room is entirely revamped for 2025, with the Hoos bringing in six cornerbacks in the transfer portal this offseason to rebuild the room after the graduations of Kempton Shine and Kendren Smith, along with the recent injuries of Jam Jackson and Dre Walker. With five of these corners joining the Cavaliers after spring camp, it's difficult to decipher who will be the Hoos' starting corners a month from now. That said, here's a breakdown of each player:

Ja'Son Prevard

Beginning with the one winter transfer, Prevard committed to Virginia in December of 2024 after two years at an FCS program, Morgan State. In 2023, Prevard earned FCS freshman All-American honors and has 41 career tackles, two interceptions, 14 pass deflections, and one fumble recovery over the last two years. Prevard was the only cornerback of the bunch to play for the Hoos this spring, giving him a lift over the rest regarding the Cavaliers specific scheme and system.

Jordan Robinson

The first commitment of the spring transfer portal cycle for the Cavaliers, Robinson comes to Virginia after posting 18 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one pass breakup last season for the Cincinnati Bearcats. Before Cincinnati, Robinson played for Kentucky, giving him a ton of experience in Power 4 football. Robinson posted a 76.4 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade last season after a 53.4 mark the year before at Kentucky.

Emmanuel Karnley

Karnley committed to Virginia as the No. 1-ranked player remaining in the transfer portal. Standing at 6'3, Karnley racked up 16 total tackles (11 solo, five assists) and five pass deflections in 2024 as a freshman. Karnley's best game came against Utah, where he had four solo tackles and two pass breakups in a 23-10 win over the Utes. Karnley, although less experienced, has a ton of potential upside for the Hoos for the next few years, and with his athleticism, has a shot at cracking the starting lineup.

Kenan Johnson

Johnson joins the Hoos after suffering a season-ending injury in his first game last year. In 2023, Johnson posted 29 tackles, three pass deflections, and one interception. According to PFF, he was the highest-graded player on the Georgia Tech defense, as he posted a 75.4 rating. If Johnson captures his old form, he will be a massive asset for the Cavaliers.

Donavan Platt

The Army transfer started all 14 games for the Golden Knights in 2024 and arrives in Charlottesville with two years of eligibility remaining. In 2024, Platt registered 15 tackles, 11 solo stops, two passes defended, and two interceptions. Last November, Platt posted this end-zone interception against now Virginia signal-caller Chandler Morris.

Stepping up in the big moments.

Justin Weaver & Donavon Platt helped seal the victory with end zone INTs. pic.twitter.com/4jZaDIu50u
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) November 10, 2024

Ja'Maric Morris

A true journeyman, Virginia will be Morris's fifth school during his five-year collegiate career. At Georgia State last year, Morris registered two interceptions and 11 tackles and will look to adjust to Power 4 football this fall.

Although it's tough to determine the starting depth chart for this upcoming season completely, below is a projection based on experience and statistics from past seasons.

Position	Starter	Backup	Backup
Right CB	Donavan Platt	Emmanuel Karnley	Ja'Son Prevard
Left CB	Kenan Johnson	Jordan Robinson	Ja'Maric Morris

The rationale for the initial starting lineup is that Platt and Johnson are the two when healthy were consistent starters for their teams making them the clear choices to be the two starters for the Hoos headed into this season. The two (Johnson and Platt) do both favor the right side of the field so it will be interesting to see how that shakes things up. Of the rest, Karnley and Prevard both bring a ton of upside although lack experience compared to Platt and Johnson.