Virginia Football's biggest fall camp winner (and what his role is now)

Virginia football had an excellent fall practice period this year, with a lot of new players standing out throughout the entirety of camp. Guys like Jekail Middlebrook, Jacquon Gibson, Brandyn Hillman, and Omillio Agard look like studs, but one "veteran" in particular really stood out over the past few weeks.

Fourth-year running back Noah Vaughn has always shown glimpses of his playmaking ability, but he's never been able to find consistency behind players like J'Mari Taylor, Harrison Waylee, Xavier Brown, Kobe Pace, and Mike Hollins since he arrived in 2023.

Finally, with Peyton Lewis starting off slow at UVA and Xavier Brown being used in a different type of role this year, Vaughn was able to show off his full skill set in fall camp.

It's Noah Vaughn time in Charlottesville

Needless to say, the coaching staff was astronimically impressed, so much so that they were giving Vaughn first-team reps over the final few days of camp.

Noah Vaughn has been incredible for #Virginia this offseason.

He’s been the best RB in practice not named Jekail Middlebrook, and it’s not even close. 👀 🔶⚔️🔷 pic.twitter.com/5ON9JlTp1L
— Matt Wilson (@CoachWilson66) August 10, 2026

He's been excellent as both a runner and pass-catcher out of the backfield for the Cavaliers, and he's really proven to be one of the team's most well-rounded backs this offseason with Jekail Middlebrook.

With Vaughn (unexpectedly) in the mix to see legitimate snaps in Des Kitchings' offense, he now gives the team a fourth ball carrier to use in 2026 alongside Middlebrook, Lewis, and Xavier Brown. Yes, Lewis struggled early, but he's come along very well and is still set to be an important piece of the offense this season.

That being said, where Noah Vaughn fits into the equation heading into the regular season is a bit of a mystery, but he likely forced his way into the game plan with his stellar performance in camp.

#UVa is on the practice field for their third day of training camp, and RB Noah Vaughn looked quick during this drill. pic.twitter.com/2UuuXEHv0O
— Greg Madia (@GregMadia) July 31, 2026

He looks smoother when it comes to his footwork, and it's been incredibly evident on power runs in practice. Vaughn's feet have been a little more clunky than UVA's other ball carriers, making him a fairly one-dimensional runner heading into the 2026 offseason.

It's obvious that he's been working with Strength & Conditioning Coach Adam Smotherman and Virginia RB Coach Keith Gaither quite a bit this year in order to improve his overall agility.

The coaching staff and fanbase alike are extremely excited to see that Noah Vaughn is finally breaking out because he was always one of those players who "should" be able to contribute but never has.

It's going to be very interesting to see how Tony Elliott and Co. chooses to deploy him in Week 0 against North Carolina State and throughout the rest of the season.

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