While last year may have been a disappointment overall with a 3-9 record, there were a few bright spots for the UVa program on the field.
Most notably among them, the Cavaliers had to re-write the receiver portion of their record books after Malik Washington’s productive 2023 season. In his one year in Charlottesville after transferring in from Northwestern, Washington took the ACC by storm, recording a staggering 110 catches for 1,426 yards and nine touchdowns. His production, along with a solid season from Malachi Fields (58 catches for 811 yards and five scores), helped improve UVa’s passing game significantly.
With that improvement, and despite Washington’s departure, expectations are going to be high for the receiver room heading into the 2024 season. And while it would be great should it happen, UVa isn’t planning on replacing Washington with one player, or even two. Instead, the overall depth of the room, especially with Fields’ return and the arrival of a few newcomers, gives the group a chance to be just as good but in a different way.
“Expectations across the board for this group will be high, as they are every year; but I do think there is a little more parity this year,” receivers coach Adam Mims said recently of his group. “That we’ll be able to spread the ball out a little bit more. And that’s my hope. I want more guys to get involved.”
While Washington and Fields had great seasons, there was a big drop-off in production after those two. UVa’s third-leading receiver was JR Wilson, who finished the season with 10 catches for 98 yards, which was about equal to one game from Washington. This year, though, there should be more relevant receivers and more playable depth and rotations.
“I think that we have more competitive depth than what I’ve seen at Virginia since I’ve been here,” Mims explained. “On paper, we’ve got a pretty good room. We’ve got a lot of talented kids with different kinds of skillsets that are able to affect the game and help us win games. You’ve got a litany of guys that can all help us in a tremendous way. There’s a lot of work to be done over this next month, in preparation for our first game and for the season. But the talent and skill set is certainly there, and it’s my job not to mess it up, obviously.”
To replace the production lost with Washington’s departure to the NFL, UVa went out and added three transfers, all of whom will have an opportunity to be key contributors this fall. Between the three of them, as well as younger players on the roster who will also compete for time, the hope is that UVa can take Washington’s production and spread it around, which will be tougher for defenses to stop.
“We wanted to add more depth to the group,” Mims said of the plan to reboot the receiver room this offseason. “Specifically with Chris Tyree and Andre Greene, them being local guys, Richmond guys, that kind of helped us. Obviously the success we saw out wide with Malik and Malachi last year, that always helps. With Trell (Harris), he’s another one we identified and I’m glad that we did. He’s a good one, they’re all three great additions to our room.”
If there has been a player pegged to replace Washington this year, it’s been the Notre Dame transfer Tyree, a big get for the coaching staff early in the winter transfer period. He comes to UVa after a decent career with the Irish, where he flashed his top speed and contributed in a number of ways.
Mims said that while Tyree has the potential to be a great one in orange and blue, asking him to go out and replicate what Washington did last year is a bit of a stretch.
“There’s definitely some similarities as far as the stature of course, the build,” Mims said when comparing Tyree to Washington. “What Malik did last year was phenomenal. It was literally a record-breaking kind of year, not only for our team but for the conference. I’ve told Chris this: We’re not necessarily trying to replicate another Malik. I just want Chris Tyree to be the best Chris Tyree he can be.”
It’s worth remembering that Tyree started his college career at running back and transitioned to receiver in his last season in South Bend. That move looked smart in retrospect, as he led the team in receiving yards with 484, hauling in three touchdowns.
“He’s still learning the nuances of playing the position, but you can already see the growth out of him,” Mims said of Tyree, who has missed a bit of time in fall camp but looks likely to be good to go for the opener. “He’s so thirsty for knowledge, he’s around the facility all the time. He wants to grow, he wants to develop. And that’s what you want out of a kid, you want somebody that just loves ball, and is infatuated by the process more than anything. Our hope for him is that he continues on the path that he’s on and he sees a lot of success this year.”
UVa’s second transfer addition was Greene, who played a pair of seasons at North Carolina after a ballyhooed prep career in RVA. Greene played sparingly over his two years in Chapel Hill, though, and Mims said that he has high hopes that Greene will realize his top-end talent as he’s already showing off his ability.
“He flashed big-time during the spring. He made a lot of really really good plays throughout practice,” Mims said of Greene. “With him it’s about growing his confidence. With him understanding who he is, I want our guys to be confident. I think he’s growing into that. I’ve told him, he’s going to be able to help us a lot this year.”
Harris was UVa’s third addition, coming over from Kent State. With the Golden Flashes, he caught 26 passes last year for 399 yards and one score. The Illinois native chose UVa over Kansas State and Michigan State and has the ability to play in different spots, and has top-end speed. Despite having a lot of interest, Harris felt that UVa was the place for him once he got to Grounds, and it feels like a good fit for both him and the program.
“I wanted to go to a place where I felt I could mesh well with the players and the coaches,” Harris said of what drew him to Charlottesville. “Once I took the visit and we got to mesh well and had chemistry together, as soon as that, I knew it was the right place for me, so it was perfect.”
Harris talked about how the receivers have pushed each other during camp, and with the amount of talent and depth at the position, it really feels like the sky's the limit for this group.
It also helps when they get along well together, and it's been hard not to notice that there are more receivers hanging around the indoor facility working on their craft after practices open to the media than any other group. Mims said that while talent is a big factor, a big part of the group’s success has been finding the right people to make each other better.
“That’s one of the biggest parts for us, is making sure we bring in the right kind of kid, before anything,” he said. “Especially at this position, it’s a position with a lot of egos and characters. You have to be very careful who you bring into your program, specifically the receiver room.
“We’ve been extremely fortunate that the guys we’ve brought in this year have been really, really solid,” Mims added. “They’re great kids, they work hard, they’re leaders. As their coach, it makes my job easier.”
