Virginia football 2026 position preview

After losing Eli Wood, Davis Lane Jr., Trell Harris, Andre Greene Jr., and Suderian Harrison to the transfer portal this offseason, things were looking a little shaky in the wide receiver room. Though there's still a lot of uncertainty with the guys Tony Elliott and Co. brought in to supplement what they already have returning for 2026, the potential to recreate what they had in 2025 is definitely there.

Let's take a look at the current wide receiver group that UVA's working with heading into fall camp:

Returners:

kameron courtney — Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Kameron Courtney (5) can’t haul in a reception as Missouri Tigers cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. (2) looks on during the second quarter of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Jacksonville. Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

TyLyric Coleman (RS Jr.) — The 4th-year receiver hasn't done much in his Virginia career yet, but that could change in 2026. He has great size (6'2", 200 lbs.) and is a fairly good route runner as well. Coleman also looked dangerous in the spring game earlier this year, making a couple of big catches, one going for 29 yards.

Kameron Courtney (Jr.) — As we've mentioned in a previous article, Courtney needs to have a breakout year for UVA in 2026, and the coaching staff undoubtedly believes that he can. Tony Elliott and Co. were able to talk him out of the transfer portal this offseason, which means they likely told him he'll have a big role this year.

TeKai Kirby (Sr.) — After transitioning to wide receiver from tight end this year, Kirby looks to make some noise as a traditional "X" receiver on the boundary. Seeing as he's still pretty big for a wide receiver (6'2.5", 232 lbs.), it's possible that OC Des Kitchings could utilize him as a "big slot" as well to create mismatches against smaller slot defenders.

Dillon Newton-Short (So.) — Newton-Short is another player who could see a good-sized workload in 2026. He did very well in his small sample size as a true freshman in 2025, and he could see legitimate snaps as a top rotational option on the outside this season behind Rico Flores Jr. and Da'Shawn Martin.

Isaiah Robinson (So.) — The coaching staff likes Robinson quite a bit, and he also looked good in limited action last season. He has the type of size (6'2", 215 lbs.) and length that the team likes on the outside at either "X" or "Z", with the ability to play inside if needed. Though he hasn't been talked about as much this offseason, don't be surprised if Robinson ends up playing a decent amount in 2026.

Triston Ward (Jr.) — Ward is a fairly big unknown at this point, as he's only played in one game throughout his first two seasons with the team. He was a higher-end 3-star recruit coming out of high school in 2024, and straight-line speed has been his calling card so far. It's going to be interesting to see what happens with Ward going forward.

Josiah Abdullah (RS Fr.) — Abdullah erupted in last year's spring game with 92 all-purpose yards, but the team didn't need him to do much as a true freshman last season with the emergence of Cam Ross, Andre Greene Jr., and Trell Harris. Now, with a blank slate at wide receiver, Abdullah could find his way onto the field more often at both wide receiver and/or kick returner in 2026.

C.J. Spence (So.) — Spence moved to wide receiver this offseason after being recruited to UVA as a 3-star cornerback in 2025. He has incredible size (6'4", 205 lbs.) and length, and has shown the ability to high-point the football in the air, so the coaching staff felt like he might be a better fit at wide receiver than defensive back. If he can consistently catch the football, UVA might have something here.

Brand Morgan (So.) — The former walk-on should continue being one of the better scout team players for the Cavaliers in 2026.

Newcomers:

2026 Three-Star Wide Receiver Dylan Cope Commits to Virginia | Dylan Cope/X Account

Rico Flores Jr. (Gr. Tr.) — Flores Jr. joins Virginia from UCLA, where he caught 26 passes for 274 receiving yards in 2025. He's only played 12 games over the past two seasons due to injuries, but UVA is hoping that he's fully healthy and ready to act as the team's WR1 heading into 2026. He looked pretty good throughout the spring, so let's hope that carries over into fall camp and then to the regular season.

Da'Shawn Martin (Jr.) — Martin makes the move to Charlottesville after being one of the better wide receivers in the MAC in 2025 for Kent State. He looks to follow in the footsteps of former Kent State receiver, Trell Harris, who was Virginia's top receiving threat last season. Martin has shown the ability to play multiple receiver spots, which bodes well for his outlook at UVA.

Jacquon Gibson (GR. Tr.) — Gibson was one of the more underrated transfer portal acquisitions for the Cavaliers this offseason. He recorded 63 receptions for 616 receiving yards to go along with 39 rushing yards in 10 games last season for UMASS, earning All-MAC recognition at the end of the year. There's a very good chance that he enters the 2026 season as one of UVA's top 3-4 receivers, which means that he'll be seeing lots of playing time this year. Like Martin, Gibson can play all over the formation, and he should be a playmaker for Virginia this season.

Tyson Davis (GR. Tr.) — Davis comes to UVA from Western Michigan, where he was a productive rotational pass-catcher for the Broncos throughout his career. He started 3 games and played in 13 in 2025, recording 25 catches for 323 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. He's not the biggest guy in the world (5'10", 187 lbs.), but he's very twitchy and should be effective in the slot for the Cavaliers.

Dylan Cope (Fr.) — Cope was not only one of the best freshmen players throughout the spring, but he was one of the top overall wide receivers as well. He looked great running routes and was able to separate fairly well in most of his reps. Cope is also unusually good in jump-ball situations, showing off the ability to make some really nice circus catches near the sideline in practice. It's pretty safe to say that the probability of Cope getting onto the field as a true freshman is greater than zero in 2026.

DaMari Carter (Fr.) — Carter was a high-end 3-star recruit from Varina High School over in Richmond, VA, and he was one of the team's top in-state targets in the 2026 cycle. He has intriguing size (6'2", 200 lbs.), speed, and route-running ability, which all bode well for his outlook at Virginia. Carter chose UVA over Indiana, Maryland, and West Virginia.

Jack Rhodes (Fr.) — Rhodes put up crazy numbers in high school (3,000+ rec. yards and 42 TDs over the last three seasons), and he was one of the top overall playmakers in the state of Georgia since his sophomore season at Aquinas HS in Augusta, GA. He may not have the type of immediate impact that Dylan Cope and/or DaMari Carter have at Virginia, but he has a lot of potential.

Who wins the WR1 job?

Aug 31, 2024; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; UCLA Bruins wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. (1) reacts with defensive back Clint Stephens (14) after Flores Jr. made a touchdown against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game against the UCLA Bruins at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Rico Flores Jr.

Despite Da'Shawn Martin's positional flexibility and skill set, Flores Jr. has the makeup of a true "X"-type receiver for OC Des Kitchings heading into the 2026 season. He's shown the ability to make tough catches, run good routes, and be a little more physical at the catch point than the other receivers in the room, so he should have the best shot to be UVA's top pass-catcher this season.

The biggest variable with Flores Jr. is health. If he stays healthy for the first time since the 2023 season, he could be special in a Des Kitchings passing attack that likes to spread the ball around.

Biggest question mark

Can Kameron Courtney consistently be effective in the slot?

A big part of Des Kitchings' offense has centered around the slot receiver and their ability to separate on two-way go's, giving the quarterback a consistent option between the hashes alongside the tight end. Cam Ross did a great job in that spot last season, catching over 50 passes from Chandler Morris on the year.

Tony Elliott and Co. are going to lean heavily on Kam Courtney in 2026, and this is undoubtedly the year for Courtney to break out. If he can't provide the team with a consistent threat in the short-to-intermediate passing game, then things could get ugly for Virginia's offense early on.

Bottom line

It's never a good thing when a program loses the type of receiving production that the Cavaliers did at wide receiver this offseason, but they brought in a good mix of replacements who have the potential to succeed in 2026.

Players like Rico Flores Jr. and Tyson Davis are sort of "wild cards" who could be very good if they can stay on the field, and Da'Shawn Martin and Jacquon Gibson are more known commodities at this point. Pairing these four incoming transfers with guys like Kameron Courtney, Dillon Newton-Short, and Josiah Abdullah could give Virginia a more impactful group of pass-catchers than originally expected in 2026.

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