Virginia-NC State outcome may be determined by who's available

The most important ability, it's often said, is availability. As Virginia and NC State prepare for Saturday's high-stakes season opener, both teams have had to deal with issues concerning which players will be on the field.

Among the Cavaliers' greatest concerns throughout training camp has been the status of star linebacker Kam Robinson, whose 2025 season ended prematurely following an ACL tear in a November victory over Duke. Robinson spent the offseason vigorously rehabbing his injury, and coach Tony Elliott eased him through preseason workouts, gradually increasing his participation.

Robinson missed last year's Cavaliers-Wolfpack game with a separate injury. At his weekly news conference Tuesday, Elliott called Robinson "a game-day decision" for Saturday, adding to the intrigue and not giving the Wolfpack (or Virginia fans) a clear sign of his status.

"He’s back in practice, moving around, pretty much doing everything," Elliott said. "This will be a big week, though, as we progress when you look at where his situation is.

"He’s tracking ahead of schedule based off of what you tend to look at timing-wise with an injury like his. But, man, he’s excited. He’s moving around, but it’ll be closer to game time. We’ve got to get through this week. These next couple days are big days to evaluate because we’ll be back in contact [practice]."

Meanwhile, fifth-year defensive linemen Cazeem Moore and Jacob Holmes will not be available, due to the eligibility complexities that have infiltrated college sports on the eve of the season.

Moore and Holmes were originally granted an extra season of eligibility thanks to a Colorado court ruling that benefitted athletes who began their college careers in 2022. They rejoined Virginia's program after the start of training camp and had hoped to play this season.

But a federal appeals court stayed a lower court injunction, meaning Moore and Holmes need state-level legal exemptions to play this season. Despite the best efforts of the Cavaliers' football general manager, Justin Speros, those exemptions have not come through at this time.

"There’s not much I can do in this situation," Elliott said. "A lot of that stuff has to be sorted out from a legal standpoint. And the conversations that I’ve been a part of, man, those guys want to play and try and find a way. But I don’t know exactly what that looks like for them individually right now.

"So I think they’re exploring those options. And hopefully, as we progress further in the week, they’ll have more clarity. It sucks because it's kind of limbo."

The news is better for the Wolfpack, who expect nose tackle KaTron Evans to start Saturday. Evans is a 6-foot-3, 336-pound transfer from Marshall whose bid for a sixth season of eligibility was initially denied by the NCAA.

Evans played for Coach Deion Sanders at Jackson State in 2021 and '22, then transferred to Charlotte but missed the 2023 season due to academic issues and family matters. He played for the 49ers in 2024 and for Marshall in 2025.

After an appeal from Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren, U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan ordered Evans eligible for a 14-day period on Aug. 10, then extended his eligibility until Evans' deadline to respond on Sept. 3, making him available to play in the opener. His status for the rest of the season will be decided later.

Attorneys are seemingly as important as athletic trainers in getting college athletes on the field these days. After LSU announced plans to sign a couple of players who attended NFL training camps, the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference this week passed rules rejecting athletes who have signed pro contracts or renounced their college eligibility from returning to school.

"I’m all in support of if they want to make a rule," Elliott said. "I just hope that all of the [Power 4] conferences come together because it doesn’t matter if one does it, right? If all four are not on the same page, then you’re going to kind of stay in the same state that we’re in with constant change because people, unfortunately — we’re in a very highly competitive industry, a very lucrative industry, and, man, people want to win."

"And the sad thing is it’s becoming more acceptable to do whatever it takes to win. And that’s the sad part about it because I don’t believe that’s the example that we really want to set for young people through athletics."

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