Editor’s Note: This is the eighth installment in our summer series breaking down UVa’s schemes, concepts, and personnel as the Hoos head toward the fall and presumably the 2020 football season. You can check out our first piece here, which focuses on the tight end position, our second right here, which focuses on the QB battle to come, our third piece here that breaks down the way UVa uses quarterback runs, our fourth piece here which looks at UVa's outstanding OLBs, our fifth piece here which looks at the impressive depth on the D-line, our sixth piece here which focuses on the rotation at inside linebacker, our seventh piece here which takes a look at UVa's options at running back, and our eighth piece here which focused on the leap that Terrell Jana took as a junior.

2019 Review

Kemp’s sophomore season started off a bit quiet but a big finish sent him into 2020 with a great deal of momentum. He finished with 35 receptions for 289 yards and one touchdown with 21 of his catches coming in the last five games of the season. That included a nine-catch, 66-yard performance in the ACC Championship game against Clemson.

While Virginia wasn’t able to compete with the Tigers for 60 minutes, Kemp was one of several players that looked like he belonged on the field with the defending national champions. He also enters 2020 as the likely punt returner, having held that duty for the duration of the season last fall.

Kemp’s Pro Football Focus grades were solid, with a 70.4 offense grade and a 71.5 receiving grade, behind just Hasise Dubois, Joe Reed, and Terrell Jana. He was credited with just two drops on the season and earned 200 of his 289 yards after the catch. Kemp did have three penalties on the year, second to Dubois (six) among pass catchers.

Film Review

Virginia’s coaches ran plays specifically for Kemp from time to time and there will likely be more of those to come this fall.

Our first bit of film from his 2019 season is a receiver screen pass against Miami. Kemp went in motion on this play and, thanks to some good blocking in space, he was able to run a quick “tunnel” screen and come back to the football before making the catch. The result was a solid gain and a 1st down.

The next screen didn’t feature such complex blocking and, as a result, Kemp had a one-on-one with an unblocked defender in space. He shows an ability to quickly go from pass catcher to ball carrier, shaking the defender in space and forcing a missed tackle from now NFL defender Tanner Muse. This also got UVa another 1st down.

This next play features Kemp getting a target out of the backfield, a play type that often went to Reed in 2019. Kemp runs a quick out at the snap and makes an easy catch, before once again shaking a defender and getting another 1st down. Reed ran a bunch of these plays last year and Kemp could be the beneficiary of his absence this season and beyond.

Kemp was used more and more in a traditional receiver role in the back half of the season, really starting with the home win over Georgia Tech. On this play, he squeezes under a de facto “screen” and cutting inside for a great timing throw from Bryce Perkins. Kemp again makes a smooth move in the open field, resulting in two Jackets defenders colliding and extra yards for the Richmond native.

Kemp’s first career touchdown (after one was called back against GT) came on a huge play late in the third quarter against Virginia Tech. On a 3rd and long, he got into his route quickly and found space against zone coverage beyond the line to gain. As you can see below, once he makes the catch, a quick inside move sends a VT defender the wrong way and from there it was an easy trot into the end zone.

Finally, an aspect of Kemp’s game that was on display, particularly down the stretch, was his toughness. He isn’t the biggest target at 5-foot-9, but he plays bigger than his frame and doesn’t back down from a challenge.

On this play below, Kemp is matched up with Isaiah Simmons, a versatile defender that went No. 7 in April’s NFL Draft. A quick route on a 3rd and short results in a catch and at 1st, as Kemp makes a tough catch and holds on to the ground despite a big hit from the Tigers defender.

2019 Review:

Though he didn’t quite have a breakout sophomore season, Kelly did see plenty of action on offense in his 11 games played. Missing contests against Pitt, Clemson, and Florida, the Florida native registered 14 catches and 152 yards with one score in the contests he played in, without a true breakout performance through the air.

Kelly did have a big game against Georgia Tech, though, breaking the rock in the locker room after a two-catch, 46-yard performance coupled with some long kick returns, covering for a banged-up Reed.

His PFF grades are bit more mixed, with a 63.4 overall and a 62.1 receiver grade. Kelly didn’t have a single drop on the season and was called for just one penalty. He also rushed five times for 43 yards in addition to his receiver role, though exclusively on designed reverses and sweeps.

Film Review:

Like with Kemp, UVa’s offense ran a number of plays throughout the season to get Kelly the ball. He was used on several reverses and jet sweeps as Robert Anae tried to leverage his speed and designed blocks to spring him for big gains.

This first example, in the win over William & Mary, is a creative counter sweep play where Kelly gets the ball going left to right across the line of scrimmage. The play demonstrates the type of look the Hoos run to get Kelly the ball as well as his ability to improvise with great footwork.

Arguably the most elusive player on the roster, Kelly shakes a defender at the line of scrimmage which allows him to turn what could’ve been a busted play into a decent gain.

This reverse against Duke is a similar sort of misdirection play, with Kelly getting the ball going left to right with blockers in front. This play shows what he can do in space if the blocking is there and he’s able to get a head of steam.

This “pop pass” play against UNC is another similar concept. Kelly gets to the edge in a hurry and has some solid blocking there from Tanner Cowley and Grant Misch. Kelly is able to make a cut and get between those blocks and up the field for a nice gain.

As a receiver, Kelly’s usage was up and down during his sophomore year. The Miami product finally caught his first career touchdown pass late in the loss at Louisville, with the Wahoos looking for a rally. He does a nice job on this play staying alive for Perkins, and adjusting to a ball thrown behind him to make the touchdown catch.

Here is another nice route and catch for Kelly, who gets behind the defender with a quick double move, and up the field. Kelly has the defender beat, but Perkins throws it to him rather than leading him down the middle of the field, a lower risk, lower reward throw, that may have resulted in a touchdown otherwise.

Finally, despite being a flashy, elusive, speedy receiver, Kelly’s most important play of the season was a gritty one. On this 3rd and long late against Virginia Tech, he makes a catch for a few yards but fights for extra through contact, ultimately setting Brian Delaney up for a long but makeable field goal that gave the Cavaliers the lead for good. This toughness from Kelly was a great sign for the young playmaker, who is always going to be overmatched size wise against defenders.

2019 Review:

Stuck behind a cadre of veteran receivers, Wicks was a role player in his freshman season but should see a nice uptick as a sophomore. He played a total of 81 snaps as a true freshman, appearing in nine contests on offense. Statistically, Wicks didn’t have a very big impact, with three receptions for 61 yards and a score. When reviewing his PFF grades, one thing about him that stands out in a big way: His run blocking grade. Wicks is a physical receiver who isn’t afraid to mix it up with defenders and put his face in the fan, and that shows with a team-high (by a wide margin) 88.9 run blocking grade on 39 assigned plays for the year.

Film Review:

Wicks’ biggest play of the season came late in the blowout win over Liberty, when he scored his first career touchdown. A beautifully-thrown ball from Brennan Armstrong on 3rd and long set Wicks up to go up and make a play on the football and move the chains. He saw that and raised it, making a nice high-point catch, turning up field and sliding off of a defender before racing down the sideline for the score. His’ hands, leaping ability, toughness, and speed were on display on this play.

Wicks’ first career catch came several weeks earlier in the win over Duke. Notice his movement at the line of scrimmage as he shakes off the defender before taking the slant inside, and making a catch on a ball thrown a bit low. If the throw is at his numbers, Wicks is likely off and running for a bigger gain.

Finally, even though this one didn’t result in a score it’s a great example of Wicks’ skillset and how he could develop into a top red zone target. On this play, he runs to the back corner of the end zone, behind the route of the outside receiver, and makes a play on a well-thrown ball from Perkins. The only thing missing was getting the foot down in bounds, as he just barely misses the green grass for the painted white line. Even though he came up a little short on this play, the skills on display are still impressive.

Virginia relied heavily on Dubois and Reed last season, meaning the program will need to replace that production with the players that remain. We previewed Jana last week, who had a big junior season and figures to be the Wahoos top receiver in 2020. UVa also adds grad transfers Ra’Shaun Henry (who will be previewed soon) and versatile RB/returner Shane Simpson in addition to another group of young receivers that haven’t had an opportunity to have a big impact yet on the field.

Kemp and Kelly are similar style players who figure to do a lot of their work in the slot and going in motion. Their roles will probably be somewhat similar to 2019 just with a higher usage rate. Kemp in particular made his presence known down the stretch last year, and could take a lot of the targets that were designed looks for Reed, and before him Olamide Zacchaeus, in Anae’s offense. Kelly is still waiting for a breakout, and to be frank, he needs to focus on doing what he needs to do to stay on the field going forward. Missing three games, including the season opener and the two postseason contests, doesn’t help his development, but flashes are still there when he is on the field. He could see a boost in role as a junior, and still has the speed and elusiveness to become a top talent in this offense.

Wicks is the intriguing wild card, one that was never going to take snaps away from Dubois or Reed but showed flashes of rare athletic ability when he got on the field. Snaps at outside receiver are a lot more readily available than they are in the slot, so Wicks could see a really big uptick in playing time this fall.

All told, UVa has plenty of pieces. The program just needs guys to step up in a big way.

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