With season approaching, Virginia's receiver rotation remains incomplete

Kitchings says none of his wideout candidates have distinguished themselves so far in practice.

Central Michigan wide receiver Tyson Davis (3) looks to evade Kent State linebacker CJ Young (3) during the first half of the game at Dix Stadium in Kent on November, 19, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Most of the news coming from Virginia's preseason football camp this summer has been overwhelmingly positive.

The Cavaliers have plenty of depth and experience, bolstered by the recent court ruling that gave defensive linemen Jacob Holmes and Cazeem Moore an additional year of eligibility. The transfer class has fit in well, and returning veterans like Kam Moore and Xavier Brown are progressing in their injury rehabilitation.

On Wednesday afternoon, though, offensive coordinator Des Kitchings dropped a message that should be of some concern to Virginia fans. Barely two weeks before the Cavaliers are set to open their season, none of his wide receivers have distinguished themselves so far.

A glass-half-full view is that the competition is deep and even. A more skeptical approach is that while the Cavaliers have quantity in their receivers room, it's uncertain how much quality is there.

To borrow an apt football term, Virginia's receiver pecking order is incomplete.

Among them, transfers Rico Flores Jr. (UCLA), Da'Shawn Martin (Kent State), Jacquon Gibson (UMass), and Tyson Davis (Central Michigan) caught 147 passes for 1,720 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025 for their previous teams. Junior Kam Courtney returns after making 25 receptions for 234 yards last year for the Cavaliers, who also brought in promising freshmen DaMari Carter and Dylan Cope.

That's a lot of candidates for three starting positions. It's been widely assumed that Flores -- who has ideal size (6-2, 211) and experience at Notre Dame and UCLA 00 would grab out of the outside starting jobs, and that Gibson had the inside track at slot receiver.

But nothing is written in stone yet. And rather than implying that the candidates are practicing at a high level, Kitchings hinted that they all have deficiencies to address.

"There are some guys that are flashing each day," he told reporters Wednesday, "and some guys who are improving their consistency. But to say that there's a separation, not at this point. And the next back half of this week, going into next week, as we put the finishing touches on camp would be a good barometer to see where we are at that position."

That's hardly a glowing assessment of a crucial part of Virginia's offense. While Kitchings and Tony Elliott advocate a strong running game, it's nearly impossible to win in this era of college football without a robust passing attack.

Establishing trust and rhythm is crucial to a pass game, and it's not a complete surprise that Virginia's hasn't become cohesive yet. Aside from Courtney, all of the leading candidates for playing time are new to the program. So are Beau Pribula, who'll be throwing to them, and his primary backup, Eli Holstein.

And other than Gibson -- who caught 63 passes for a winless UMass team last fall -- none of the candidates has been the leading receiver for a college team. The candidates are also working daily in practice against a veteran Virginia secondary that figures to be one of the defense's strongest areas this fall. If they can't get separation from the Cavaliers' cornerbacks, how can the receivers separate themselves from one another?

Competition usually brings out the best in athletes. Still, both Kitchings and Elliott (not to mention Pribula) likely would prefer to know who'll be in the starting lineup on Aug. 29 against N.C. State, so they can give the A team more practice repetitions.

Things may become clearer after Virginia's second and final intrasquad scrimmage scheduled for Saturday.

"I put a lot of stock in it, because that's an opportunity at Scott Stadium," Kitchings said. "The coaches are off the field. In practice, a lot of times, the coaches may try to help and correct a kid. You see him misalign, or he may have a look like he's uncertain or something, and the coaches are helping them. ... But when we get in the stadium, it's like a game."

If there's more clarity after Saturday, the Cavaliers will have two weeks of practice to fine-tune their passing game before a critical opener. If things are still undecided, there may be a few sleepless nights for Elliott and Kitchings.