Five Breakout Performers: Defense

With spring football now in the rear view and fall camp just a couple of months away, the 2022 Virginia football team—its personnel, its needs, and its potential—is starting to come into focus. And although the Hoos bring back plenty of talent from last year’s team, Tony Elliott and his new staff will have plenty of roster spots to dole out.

After taking a look at the offensive side of the ball last week, today we’ll take a look at several breakout candidates on both D.

1. LB Mike Green: Virginia’s defense will have several position battles this summer, including at the edge spot where Green, a rising sophomore, looks like a breakout candidate. The Williamsburg native saw plenty of time in the spring game and could be the next great Cavalier pass rusher.

Green, who chose Virginia over offers from Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Kentucky and many others, started to earn playing time as his freshman season moved along. He grabbed his first career sack at Pitt, taking down Kenny Pickett in a pivotal game, and finished his freshman campaign with four tackles and the aforementioned sack in seven games played.

Green was one of several Wahoos that received plenty of buzz from spring practice, as the Wahoos transitioned to a new defense. He made a few plays in the Blue-White Game as well, and a strong performance in the spring with playing time available at the position bodes well for the rising sophomore.

He has good instincts as well as a solid athletic profile, which leads one to think he could develop into a high-quality starter for the Hoos. This year, Green looks like a candidate to make the leap from role player to key contributor, as the Cavaliers very much need to improve their pass rush in John Rudzinski’s defense.

2. CB Fentrell Cypress: UVa will have plenty of playing time available at cornerback, which is another spot that needs some improvement. Nick Grant and DeVante Cross have both moved on to pro careers, and although their performances were uneven at times they do leave plenty of playing time to be accounted for this year. On one side of the defense, Anthony Johnson seems entrenched as a starter at one corner. But the other remains open for several possible candidates, and the Hoos will need defensive backs to step up and play the nickel role as well.

Enter Fentrell Cypress, who saw quite a bit of action early in the season and made some flash plays. The South Carolina product played in seven games last year, making 17 tackles, 0.5 for loss, and grabbing an interception with a 66-yard return against North Carolina. Cypress now enters his third year with the Wahoos, looking to grab a more significant role.

There are several options at the cornerback spot, so playing time that Cypress gets will be earned for certain. The rising junior did demonstrate some ability early last year, but the secondary, Cypress included, simply gave up too many big plays. That will need to improve and the Cavalier coaches will need to turn some of their younger defensive backs in to key contributors in the new-look D. Cypress has the ability to become one of those key contributors at cornerback.

3. S Antonio Clary: Speaking of defensive backs, UVa will have to replace some experience at safety, too. Joey Blount is off to the NFL and he takes with him years of experience in Virginia’s secondary. UVa will have several options to fill year void, though, and of our 10 potential breakout candidates highlighted, is probably the most-experienced.

He has seen plenty of playing time in his Cavalier tenure, with 24 career contests under his belt. Clary played all 12 games last year and recorded 42 total tackles, ranking sixth on the team. He also had 0.5 tackles for loss and even contributed in special teams, returning one punt and a pair of kickoffs. The Jacksonville native isn’t starting from scratch as a player but he is a clear candidate to go from a role player to one of the defense’s top contributors.

Clary could certainly step into a starting safety gig and make a bigger contribution in pass defense, in addition to what he has already done in run stopping. He is a veteran who has seen plenty of action and with a new staff in place perhaps he’ll be able to prove himself right away.

But like with Cypress at corner, there are other options at the safety spot waiting in the wings if Clary isn’t a consistent performer.

4. DL Ben Smiley: During the spring game, Elliott did an on-air segment with the commentators while play was ongoing. During that portion of the broadcast, one of the players who flashed and was mentioned was Smiley, who is the definition of a breakout performer waiting to happen.

The talent is certainly there for the former four-star recruit from the 757 but he hasn’t been able to showcase his abilities thus far. Smiley saw a little bit of action in the 2019 season as a true freshman, playing in blowout wins over William & Mary and Duke. In 2020, he opted out during the Covid season and then returned to action in 2021. In a bigger role, Smiley played in eight games, recording seven tackles and three QB hurries.

In 2022, he looks like a potential or likely starter up front as UVa attempts to retool its defensive line. An imposing presence, Smiley could reap the benefits of playing next to a veteran in Aaron Faumui and a block-eater in nose tackle Jameer Carter. If Smiley can create more QB pressures from the defensive line, everyone up front should benefit.

5. DL Chico Bennett: Finally, this breakout player would’ve likely broken out last season if not for injury. After transferring to UVa from Georgia Tech, the initial reports on Bennett were positive. Then in his first spring practice with the Hoos, he suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss the 2021 campaign. Now, Bennett is ready to make an impact up front.

The Ashburn native played for two seasons in Atlanta, appearing in 15 games total. He recorded 17 tackles as a true freshman in 2019 before getting hurt. Now, finally healthy again, Bennett is looking to replicate what he did as a freshman, and then some. When he met with the media during spring practice, Bennett said that he’s a bit rusty but the coaching staff has helped him get back in game shape, and he is getting more confident day by day. Bennett is one of few Cavaliers that have played in another scheme, and perhaps that could benefit him with the learning curve with the new schemes.

UVa will bring in a pair of additional edge rushers from the transfer portal in the fall, so with Bennett and the additions of Paul Akere (Columbia) and Kam Butler (Miami- Ohio) the Cavaliers should have some talent, experience, and depth getting after the quarterback.