Following UVa's Blue-White Game, All-ACC linebacker Nick Jackson talked about the spring, the new staff, the new system, his own leadership, and much more.

If there is a more important piece for UVa on the defensive side of the ball in 2022, you’d be hard pressed to make an argument that could be more convincing than choosing Jackson.

A 6-foot-1, 236-pound rising senior from Atlanta, Jackson is coming off a season where he posted an ACC-high 117 tackles. Along the way to those numbers, he put up seven double-digits tackle games.

When you look around the defense, especially one in a sea of change moving between systems, it stands to reason that the Cavaliers are going to lean on No. 6 and lean on him often. That’s especially essential given the issues UVa had on defense last year.

This isn’t just a group that needs to improve; this is a group that needs to grow by leaps and bounds….while also dealing with the loss of several key pieces along with learning a new system.

The question that might have been the most intriguing from the above media availability came from the RTD’s David Teel, as he asked Jackson about the run defense and how much that unit benefits from the offensive staff’s clear objective of making a traditional running game a part of the UVa offense.

“100 percent” Jackson said when asked if it helps, adding that “iron sharpens iron.”

Look, I’m not going to tell you that UVa’s defense is going to all of a sudden be among the national leaders in run defense just because the offensive coordinator decided to run the ball (ever). What I am going to tell you instead is that the Hoos were clearly inhibited by the lack of any running game to practice against. The way Jackson answered that question—not just the words but the vigor—tells us plenty.

In college sports, it seems like it doesn’t take a whole lot to move the needle a whole lot. The right player or two, the right coaching tweak. The small stuff can pay big dividends. What takes the most is moving it that needle that last little bit, from really good to great. We’re not talking about UVa going to great but merely moving to consistently manageable. That improvement alone could be huge.

A run defense that produces at an even marginally better clip could make UVa a very different team this season. Of course, the offense—which will likely not be as prolific as 2021’s iteration—will need to make hay it but suffice to say, I expect the defense to improve. And a good part of that is going to be the play of Jackson in the middle of the scheme, however the base alignment shakes out.