The spring season ended for the Cavaliers with the spring game April 18. The biggest storyline that emerged from Virginia's 15 practices was at the quarterback position.
A few days after the game, the depth chart was released. Matt Johns was listed ahead of Greyson Lambert as top signal caller and coach Mike London said the competition wasn't really close. Offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild seemed to indicate the race was closer, though. There will be plenty of practices come fall camp and there's plenty of time until the Wahoos' first game at UCLA on Sept. 5, but it certainly is an interesting development. While I personally wanted Lambert to be the QB last year, there were lots of fans that were captivated when Johns came in for Lambert against UCLA last year and almost led the team on a comeback over the top-25 ranked Bruins. Both had their moments in 2014, good and bad, but Johns ended up with more touchdowns than interceptions, and you can't say the same of Lambert. And Johns did seem to just have more of a knack for moving the team down the field.
At running back, Taquan Mizzell is supposed to take over the No. 1 duties from Kevin Parks and Khalek Shepherd, who both graduated. Mizzell had a pretty good year in 2014, but the buzz was deadened some at the end of the year when he was caught from behind on a breakaway against Virginia Tech in the season's final game. While Mizzell's main strength has never been straight-line speed, he was billed as elusive coming into UVa. However, he's had to work on his one-cut running in the spring. He sometimes dances around in the backfield too much. Reportedly, he is better now at taking one cut and going up field. Second in line to get carries is Daniel Hamm, a sophomore walk-on who has been impressive in limited time the past two seasons (he received a medical hardship waiver in 2013 and is a sophomore eligibility-wise). Fans have been clamoring for him to get more carries. Jordan Ellis, a big freshman bruiser, could give the Cavs some bulldozing ability they've lacked recently in the run game.
At receiver, the most impressive player has been UNC transfer T.J. Thorpe. He saw a lot of activity in the spring game and will be a good receiver for UVa in his final season. He is also likely to get some carries on jet sweeps and could also be a key cog in the return game. The other two receivers who are listed as starters are Andre Levrone and Canaan Severin, who had a breakout 2014 campaign. You might remember the name Doni Dowling from last season. He impressed, especially early on, as a freshman at wideout. He is going to be out for 2015 with a knee injury.
Just a couple days ago, UVa got help at the tight end position, picking up Stanford transfer Charlie Hopkins. He is known more for his run blocking than pass catching. Other tight ends that could see time for UVa are Rob Burns, Evan Butts, and converted QB Brendan Marshall.
The offensive line was very banged up during the spring but everyone is expected back in the fall and the two-deep will have a different look probably compared to the spring depth chart.
On defense, the biggest storylines probably revolve around Andrew Brown and the linebackers. Brown, a five star-recruit, was a disappointment in his first year last season at defensive tackle and also battled injuries. He got leaner in the offseason and should make a bigger impact in 2015. At linebacker, UVa lost Max Valles, Henry Coley, and Daquan Romero. The Cavs will be breaking in new starters and at the end of the spring, those spots went to Mark Hall, Micah Kiser, and Zach Bradshaw. One to watch is C.J. Stalker, a freshman who enrolled in January. He is a four-star recruit from Ohio and is listed behind Bradshaw.
The secondary must replace standout safety Anthony Harris and Kelvin Rainey stepped up to fill that role with a strong spring. UVa returns freshman All-American Quin Blanding at the other safety spot and also brings back cornerbacks Maurice Canady and Tim Harris. Demetrious Nicholson is back for a fifth season after getting a medical hardship and he is expected to be used in nickel formations.
A few days after the game, the depth chart was released. Matt Johns was listed ahead of Greyson Lambert as top signal caller and coach Mike London said the competition wasn't really close. Offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild seemed to indicate the race was closer, though. There will be plenty of practices come fall camp and there's plenty of time until the Wahoos' first game at UCLA on Sept. 5, but it certainly is an interesting development. While I personally wanted Lambert to be the QB last year, there were lots of fans that were captivated when Johns came in for Lambert against UCLA last year and almost led the team on a comeback over the top-25 ranked Bruins. Both had their moments in 2014, good and bad, but Johns ended up with more touchdowns than interceptions, and you can't say the same of Lambert. And Johns did seem to just have more of a knack for moving the team down the field.
At running back, Taquan Mizzell is supposed to take over the No. 1 duties from Kevin Parks and Khalek Shepherd, who both graduated. Mizzell had a pretty good year in 2014, but the buzz was deadened some at the end of the year when he was caught from behind on a breakaway against Virginia Tech in the season's final game. While Mizzell's main strength has never been straight-line speed, he was billed as elusive coming into UVa. However, he's had to work on his one-cut running in the spring. He sometimes dances around in the backfield too much. Reportedly, he is better now at taking one cut and going up field. Second in line to get carries is Daniel Hamm, a sophomore walk-on who has been impressive in limited time the past two seasons (he received a medical hardship waiver in 2013 and is a sophomore eligibility-wise). Fans have been clamoring for him to get more carries. Jordan Ellis, a big freshman bruiser, could give the Cavs some bulldozing ability they've lacked recently in the run game.
At receiver, the most impressive player has been UNC transfer T.J. Thorpe. He saw a lot of activity in the spring game and will be a good receiver for UVa in his final season. He is also likely to get some carries on jet sweeps and could also be a key cog in the return game. The other two receivers who are listed as starters are Andre Levrone and Canaan Severin, who had a breakout 2014 campaign. You might remember the name Doni Dowling from last season. He impressed, especially early on, as a freshman at wideout. He is going to be out for 2015 with a knee injury.
Just a couple days ago, UVa got help at the tight end position, picking up Stanford transfer Charlie Hopkins. He is known more for his run blocking than pass catching. Other tight ends that could see time for UVa are Rob Burns, Evan Butts, and converted QB Brendan Marshall.
The offensive line was very banged up during the spring but everyone is expected back in the fall and the two-deep will have a different look probably compared to the spring depth chart.
On defense, the biggest storylines probably revolve around Andrew Brown and the linebackers. Brown, a five star-recruit, was a disappointment in his first year last season at defensive tackle and also battled injuries. He got leaner in the offseason and should make a bigger impact in 2015. At linebacker, UVa lost Max Valles, Henry Coley, and Daquan Romero. The Cavs will be breaking in new starters and at the end of the spring, those spots went to Mark Hall, Micah Kiser, and Zach Bradshaw. One to watch is C.J. Stalker, a freshman who enrolled in January. He is a four-star recruit from Ohio and is listed behind Bradshaw.
The secondary must replace standout safety Anthony Harris and Kelvin Rainey stepped up to fill that role with a strong spring. UVa returns freshman All-American Quin Blanding at the other safety spot and also brings back cornerbacks Maurice Canady and Tim Harris. Demetrious Nicholson is back for a fifth season after getting a medical hardship and he is expected to be used in nickel formations.
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