Editor’s Note: This is the sevent installment 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. You can read the previous breakdowns by clicking the links below:
2023 Performance
UVa’s defensive line is one of the program’s oldest groups, but the unit is coming off of a season that lacked productivity. The Wahoos finished dead last nationally in sacks with 11 and sack yards with 64, and that lack of pressure made it quite a bit harder for the defense to get off the field.
Part of the production issues can be chalked up to injuries with one starter coming back from an injury at the beginning of the season, one missing several games, and another missing most of the season. Still, Virginia will need to perform better in the pass rush this fall if the program is going to improve on its 3-9 record. The run defense has some work to do as well, after the Cavaliers gave up 5.1 yards per carry last season and allowed opponents to convert 40.4 percent of 3rd-down opportunities.
The Projected Starters
Jahmeer Carter
A mainstay in the middle of UVa’s defensive line, Carter returned to the program for his final year to reach the next step in his development. Defensive line coach Kevin Downing said on Friday that Carter wants to prove that he’s a three-down lineman that can get after the quarterback in addition to his body of work as a run stopper. The senior recorded 35 tackles last year including a pair of TFL’s and one sack.
Chico Bennett
After suffering an injury early in fall camp last year, Bennett returned and ultimately only missed the opener, but it’s fair to question if he was truly as healthy as he needed to be, given his drop off in production. He recorded 34 tackles last year including 4.5 tackles for loss, but didn’t have a sack after recording seven the year prior. Now, we’ll see if a healthy Bennett can recapture that form this fall.
Kam Butler
Like Bennett, Butler suffered an injury last fall, but Butler’s was far more damaging. He played in just four games last season, suffering a season-ending upper-body injury in the loss to NC State that forced him to miss the rest of the year. Butler’s pass rush skills were missed but his injury did allow him to apply for and eventually be granted a waiver for a seventh year of eligibility. Butler had 3.5 sacks last year before getting hurt, and now he’ll look to close out his very long collegiate career with a bang.
Ben Smiley
Although he’s a defensive end (like Bennett and Butler) and all three of them are unlikely to be official starters, it’s fair to say all three of them, including Smiley, will play starters’ snaps this year. The Virginia native played in nine games last season, missing several in the middle portion of the season with a concussion. He recorded 15 total tackles with 3.5 TFL’s and a pair of sacks, and was counted on quite a bit after Butler’s injury. Smiley rounds out a foursome of players in their final year with UVa, looking to get the defensive line production back on track.
The Depth Options
Michael Diatta
Along with Carter, Diatta is another player that could be a major factor in the interior defensive line. Diatta, now a senior, was never a true starter last season but played more than 300 snaps and featured in all 12 games last season. He finished the team 15th in tackles with 18 and recorded one sack in the win over Duke, arguably the best performance of Diatta’s career to date.
Mekhi Buchanan
Playing in 11 games last season, the freshman edge rusher should be a name to watch this fall in his second year. Buchanan played 171 snaps last season, and recorded 20 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. He has an intriguing athletic profile with good size and bend, and could develop into a quality pass rushing option playing mostly on 3rd downs.
Jason Hammond
Freshmen defensive linemen typically aren’t physically ready to play a lot in their first years but Hammond did see some PT last fall in his first season of college ball. He played in seven games last season and recorded three total tackles, rotating in at defensive tackle. Hammond should be part of the rotation at tackle as a sophomore.
Anthony Britton
Another rising sophomore who should have a role this fall, the 757 native played in four contests as a freshman, preserving his redshirt year in the process. Britton recorded two tackles in the season opener against Tennessee, and didn’t record any other statistics the rest of the way. He was singled out by Downing at last week’s media luncheon as a young player who should see more snaps this year.
Bryce Carter
An older depth option, Carter played in seven games last season, recording nine total tackles. He played sparingly in 2022 as well and should be in competition for playing time with the younger players mentioned here.
Terrell Jones
Another player who could see a larger role this fall, Jones initially came to UVa as a defensive end and now works with the tackles. The Alabama native played in four games last fall, recording two total tackles.
The Breakout Candidate
Mekhi Buchanan
Buchanan makes the most sense as a potential breakout candidate, especially once his athletic profile and potential to make drive-altering plays is considered. If Bennett, Butler, and Smiley are healthy, and they weren’t last season, that may hinder Buchanan from taking significantly more snaps this season, but the Georgia native is the type of player that could work in a specialist pass-rusher role if nothing else, on obvious passing downs.
The Big Question
Can UVa recapture the pass rush numbers they had in 2022?
In 2022, the first year with John Rudzinski’s defense, UVa’s pass rush was a strength rather than a glaring weakness as it was in 2023. Some of that success may be credited to having a quality cornerback tandem which made quarterbacks hold the ball longer, and health was a factor as well.
But in 2022, UVa recorded three sacks per game, which ranked 13th best nationally, which speaks to how big the drop-off was last fall.
The question now is whether the same players that recorded all of those sacks in 2022 (Bennett, Butler, etc) can find a way to get after the quarterback more consistently this fall, or if their 2023 form will rear its ugly head once again.
