Virginia Releases Its Depth Chart Ahead of Week Nine Matchup vs UNC

What does Virginia's depth chart look like heading into its matchup against North Carolina?

Oct 4, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Virginia Cavaliers running back J'Mari Taylor (3) celebrates a touchdown during overtime against the Louisville Cardinals at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Virginia defeated Louisville 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Virginia is approaching its week nine matchup against North Carolina on Saturday. UVA is experiencing quite the hot streak, having won its last five games, two of which were stunning upsets over Florida State and Louisville. Their latest victory came over the weekend after they defeated Washington State 22-20. The score was closer than they would have preferred, but as head coach Tony Elliott has reiterated time and time again, a win is a win. Ultimately, claiming victory will require all hands on deck — it has to be the Cavaliers' primary focus.

"... There won't be a whole lot of yelling, because me yelling and just trying to create energy is not going to get it done. This is a decision. It's going to take a decision from everyone in this room to go fight for what it is that you want," Elliott firmly stated during his recent media appearance on Saturday.

With their next matchup just a few short days away, the Cavaliers have now officially released their depth chart.

Offense

Position	Starter	Backup #1
QB	Chandler Morris	Daniel Kaelin
RB	J'Mari Taylor	Xavier Brown or Harrison Waylee or Noah Vaughn
WR	Jahmal Edrine	Jayden Thomas
WR	Cam Ross	Kameron Courtney
WR	Trell Harris	Eli Wood
TE	Sage Ennis	John Rogers
LT	McKale Boley	Jon Adair
LG	Noah Josey	Kevin Wigenton II
C	Brady Wilson	Noah Hartsoe
RG	Drake Metcalf	Ethan Sipe
RT	Jack Witmer	Ben York

Defense

Position	Starter	Backup #1
DE	Fisher Camac or Cazeem Moore	Billy Koudelka
NT	Jahmeer Carte	Anthony Britton
DT	Jason Hammond or Hunter Osborne or Jacob Holmes
Bandit DE	Mitchell Melton or Daniel Rickert	Billy Koudelka
WILL LB	James Jackson	Maddox Marcellus
MIKE LB	Kam Robinson	Landon Danley or Trey McDonald
SPUR	Ja'son Prevard or Corey Costner	Caleb Hardy
LC	Donavon Platt or Emmanuel Karnley
RC	Jordan Robinson	Kevon Gray or Josiah Persinger
FS	Ethan Minter or Christian Charles
SS	Devin Neal	Da'Marcus Crosby II

Special Teams

Position	Starter	Backup
Punter	Daniel Sparks	Elijah Slibeck
Kickoff	Daniel Sparks	Will Bettridge
Placekicker	Will Bettridge	Jorge Diaz Nicholas
Punt Return	Cam Ross	Jayden Thomas
Kickoff Return	Cam Ross	J'Mari Taylor
Long Snapper	Bryce Robinson	Stevie Bracey

John Rogers Steps Up, Dakota Twitty Out

Sep 20, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers tight end Sage Ennis (0) celebrates with Cavaliers tight end Dakota Twitty (9) after catching a touchdown pass against the Stanford Cardinal during the third quarter at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

One of the most prominent storylines to pay attention to is John Rogers appearing on the depth chart while Dakota Twitty remains off due to his lower leg injury. With Twitty out, Rogers will have some big shoes to fill. Prior to Twitty's injury, he landed a career-high of 11 receptions and 129 yards. Fortunately, Elliott appears very confident in Rogers' ability.

He explained, "... So John's a guy that I've said, you know, for a long time that he's very, very talented. And I think you see kind of speed and the difference he can make, and it's just a function of, you know, consistently putting forth the work in practice so that everybody can trust him in that situation. But sometimes you've got to grow up on the field. And I thought he did grow up for us tonight and made some huge plays not just in the game, but there in overtime."

Will Ja'son Prevard Continue to Rise?

Sep 26, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers defensive back Ja'son Prevard (10) makes a game winning interception in the end zone on a pass intended for Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Squirrel White (4) in the second overtime period at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

It's become clear that junior defensive back Ja'son Prevard has been quite an explosive player on the field this season, and he hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. He has a clear knack for making game-changing plays, but there is still plenty of development that he needs to experience.

As Elliott stated during his latest postgame press conference:

"...he's [Prevard] been huge. He's made some really big plays and he knows that I feel like he's got more in the tank and I think he's, you know, each week he's getting better and he still has a ton of room to grow, but he just finds a way to make plays and we need him to be able to do that and I think he's starting to kind of create some energy and some confidence for the rest of the guys on defense to kind of follow suit and try to make some plays."

Saturday's kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. EST. Will UVA be able to continue defending its name?