Virginia football 2026 position preview

Virginia football will undoubtedly miss Sage Ennis this year, as he stepped in and performed admirably when Dakota Twitty got injured against Louisville in 2025. Though he did a little bit of everything for the Cavaliers on offense, the coaching staff brought in two veteran players who have very similar skill sets via the transfer portal.

Without further ado, let's take a look at UVA's current tight end room heading into fall camp.

Returners:

Dakota Twitty against Richmond. | Virginia Athletics

Dakota Twitty (GR. Student) — Twitty made the move from wide receiver to tight end in 2023, and luckily for Virginia, his athleticism still stands out. Though he's been somewhat of an underachiever for the program, he was on pace for a great season in 2025 before a devastating knee injury that he suffered against Louisville ended his season. Now, at 6'5", 247 Lbs., he looks the part of a legitimate tight end, and if he can stay healthy in 2026, he could have a monster year as the main chain-mover for Des Kitchings' offense.

John Rogers (RS So.) — Rogers also played well in 12P packages when Twitty got hurt last season alongside Sage Ennis. In fact, it was actually Rogers who stepped in as TE1 when Twitty went down against the Cardinals, and he made a couple of big plays in the close win. He'll provide top-notch depth for the Cavaliers this year.

Justin Zames (So.) — Zames was a 3-star tight end in the 2025 class, and someone who the coaching staff has high hopes for. He has good size at 6'4", 238 Lbs. and has looked good in practice for UVA. It's unclear whether or not he'll have much of a role in 2026 simply based on the amount of depth that the team has at tight end.

Willem Thurber (So.) — Thurber was another 3-star tight end in last year's class with Zames, and he also has great size and length for the position. He's currently the second-tallest tight end on the roster at just over 6'5", and if he can make some strides in camp, he's someone who could see some time as a big, red-zone target in 2026.

Hayden Rollison (Sr.) — Rollison committed to Virginia as a preferred walk-on in 2023 and saw his first game action against Coastal Carolina in 2024. Though he hasn't played since then, he continues to be a great scout team tight end for the program.

Henry Omohundro (Jr.) — Like Rollison, Omohundro was a preferred walk-on in 2024. He hasn't seen any game action yet, but he's another well-rounded scout team player, which is crucial to the Cavaliers' game preparation each week.

Newcomers:

Connor Cox (Sr.) — Cox makes his way to UVA from North Carolina, where he was a rotational blocking tight end for the Tar Heels in 2025. At 6'6", 250 Lbs., he has elite size for the tight end position and is technically sound when being utilized as a traditional "Y". Depending on how he performs in camp, Cox could end up being the top backup tight end behind Dakota Twitty in 2026.

Lukas Ungar (GR. Student) — Ungar comes to Charlottesville from New Mexico State, where he was a rotational player like Cox last season. He played in the first eight games of NMSU's 2025 season, but then missed the final four with an injury. He'll be another depth option for the Cavaliers this season.

Who wins the starting TE job?

Oct 21, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Dakota Twitty (83) against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the first half at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Dakota Twitty

There's honestly not much to say here. Twitty is the guy, and the potential is definitely there for him to put up one of the best seasons by a tight end in UVA history. He moves incredibly well and is impressive after the catch, so if Beau Pribula can consistently get him the football, an All-ACC type season could be on the way for the fifth-year pass-catcher.

Biggest question mark

How will OC Des Kitchings use the tight end position in 2026?

Since Coach Kitchings has been at Virginia, he's used the tight end spot in a plethora of ways. At first, he used them as more of a decoy in the passing game and utilized them as blockers for the most part. Over the past couple of seasons, he's chosen to incorporate them more into the passing game, which has worked out pretty well for the team.

He's been using 12P packages quite a bit as well since the middle of the 2024 season, and there's a good chance that he continues that in 2026 with the amount of depth that the team has at tight end. The offense could also shift to a more run-focused approach with Beau Pribula at the helm, so two-tight-end formations could be more prevalent this year.

Bottom line

Though the names in UVA's tight end room aren't flashy behind Dakota Twitty, the reality is that it's a very well-rounded and complete position group heading into 2026. Whether they're out running routes in the passing game or sealing the edge in the run game, Cavalier tight ends should be able to get the job done this year at a fairly high level.

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