Countdown to Camp: UVa has two quality options for QB1

Editor’s Note: This is the first in an our annual series of position breakdowns as we look at the depth, players in the mix to start, and potential breakout candidates heading into UVa’s 2024 season.

UVa had two starting quarterbacks throughout the 2023 season and despite a disappointing 3-9 record, the passing game was more productive than most in the last few decades of Cavalier football. Tony Muskett and Anthony Colandrea each started six games and combined to throw for 3,010 yards and 19 touchdowns.

We’ll begin today with Muskett, who of course came out of fall camp as the starter before getting hurt late in the opener. He’d miss the next three games and then played four complete in the middle of the season, leading the Hoos to two of their three wins. He threw for 200+ yards in those four games before his season was cut short once again, getting hurt on the first drive of the Georgia Tech game.

For the year, Muskett would finish with 1,031 passing yards and six touchdowns along with five interceptions (Muskett threw for one pick in each of his five-consecutive starts through October and early November, including one on the play that ended his season against the Yellow Jackets).

Colandrea, meanwhile, was forced into action when Muskett initially got hurt against Tennessee and ended up playing in eight games with six starts. And while his season had plenty of ups and downs, it’s fair to say the freshman QB exceeded expectations: Colandrea threw for 1,958 yards on 246 attempts, connecting on 13 touchdowns while throwing nine INTs.

He was much better taking care of the ball later in the season after throwing five interceptions across a two-week span against Maryland and NC State. Colandrea also had two 300+ yard games, while Muskett had none, throwing for 377 against JMU in his first career start and 314 in a near upset of Louisville on the road in November. He also finished fourth on the team in rushing with 225 yards, and he used his legs more down the stretch, rushing for 89 yards on 14 carries at Louisville and 66 yards on nine scampers against Duke.

Tony Muskett OR Anthony Colandrea

Despite the fact that we don’t know who the starter will be for the season opener, this might be our most straightforward positional breakdown.

It’s going to be Colandrea or Muskett behind center against Richmond on August 31 and the expectation is that there will be an open competition in fall camp. Both Muskett and Colandrea showed well in April’s Spring Game and each of them had strong moments during the 2023 season.

Muskett is the more experienced, mature player with lots of games under his belt at Monmouth, and although Colandrea played more in 2023, Muskett saw plenty of action. Colandrea, meanwhile, likely has the higher upside and showed flashes of big-time potential during his freshman season. Plus, he has more years of eligibility remaining after this one which could impact the staff’s calculus.

For now, we’ll all just have to wait and see how the competition plays out with there being a good chance that both players will factor into the 2024 season in some way.

Gavin Frakes: Virginia has two quality options to be the starter but didn’t have much depth behind those two heading into the offseason. The Hoos ended up Frakes, a transfer from New Mexico State, to serve as a depth option. He started five games as a true freshman in 2022, throwing for 736 yards and four touchdowns. Frakes didn’t play in 2023, however, and ended up going in the portal. It would probably take significant injury issues for him to end up playing this season, or frankly even beyond this year, but it’s good to have another quarterback who has been an FBS starter on the roster, in case of emergency.

Grady Brosterhaus: Oddly UVa’s most efficient quarterback last season, Brosterhaus is back with the program after entering the transfer portal in the spring only to withdrawal later and return to Charlottesville. Brosterhaus was used on short-yardage sneak plays, which were successful, and did come in for a few plays against Georgia Tech while UVa’s staff tried to determine how injured Muskett was before having to burn Colandrea’s redshirt.

Brosterhaus threw one pass for 21 yards before leaving the game. Like Frakes, he is not someone in the short-term plans at starting quarterback but he adds value to the roster and we could see the short-yardage shove plays make a return this season as well.

Anthony Colandrea: With all due respect to Muskett, and while conceding that he has a legitimate chance to win the job, if a quarterback on this roster is going to get some attention on the national stage, it’s probably Colandrea.

His freshman year showed flashes of a special player, and with another year in the program and plenty of experience under his belt, it’s quite possible Colandrea takes his game to another level in 2024. Even if Muskett wins the job initially, he has struggled with injuries since arriving at UVa, and that could open the door for Colandrea to take over like he did last season, and potentially not look back if he plays well.

It will be interesting to see if Colandrea, who gambled plenty as a freshman, can combine his playmaking ability with a more restrained style on a play-by-play basis to both create big plays but also take care of the football.

Will the competition linger into the first month of the season?

At some point in August, Tony Elliott will name a starter. It might be in the days leading up to the opener against Richmond or perhaps it comes earlier in camp. The question then is how committed they’ll be to that player and how open the door will be to the initial backup to take over at the first sign of trouble?

Perhaps it’s a good thing that UVa opens with an FCS opponent and hopefully whoever wins the job will be able to ease into the season before an ACC road game a week later. But the possibility remains that perhaps the competition doesn’t sort itself out during camp and UVa’s staff could name a temporary “starter” to begin the season, using the first few games as more data points in an ongoing battle.