Editor’s Note: With spring ball in the rear view and summer sessions ramping up across the country, the lead up to the enrollment of the 2019 class and the eventual beginning of fall camp is now upon us. In this series, we’ll go position by position at UVa to take a look at the current circumstances of each one, grade it, give the reasoning behind that grade, and then outline what needs improving before the Wahoos open their season under the lights at Pittsburgh on August 31st.

It hasn’t been something one could say often over the years but there are a number of teams across the ACC that would love to have Virginia’s quarterback situation heading into the season. Rising senior Bryce Perkins is easily the best returning signal caller in the Coastal Division and if not for Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence he’d be that for the entire league. In some metrics, he fared even better in 2018.

It’s easy for most folks to come away from the 8-5 campaign thinking he was the major difference maker for the Cavaliers. Looking at the numbers, it’s important to understand just how big his impact was: He racked up more than 2,600 yards passing and another 900 more rushing, making him the only QB nationally other than Heisman winner Kyler Murray to do that. His total offense of 3,603 yards was good enough for third most in the league and 21st best nationally. Perkins set the school’s single-season record in that category but he also set UVa’s single-season record with 34 touchdowns responsible for while tying the single-season mark for 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback (four).

In short, he’s pretty good.

Of course, UVa’s situation isn’t just merely Perkins. Brennan Armstrong continues to vibrate with potential, as shown during the season whenever he got opportunities to take the field as well as during the spring game when he looked poised in leading the offense. Between them and what the Hoos have coming in, things look especially good.

Grade: B+

Our grade here is really solid, though some may quibble and think it should be at least an A-. In truth, the difference for us is in the confluence of Perkins’ offseason finger surgery and the loss of Olamide Zaccheaus. While we think UVa’s wide receivers are going to surprise many, not having Zaccheaus is going to hurt the Hoos both in terms of production and in scheme. When you don’t have an established weapon like him, it makes everything harder to do.

As such, in 2019 Perkins has to be able to not only continue being who he was last season—keeping drives alive, avoiding negative plays, etc—but he’s got to be even more consistent when throwing to the edges and vertically. Teams aren’t going to be as pressured to cede parts of the field that his scrambling can take advantage of without Zaccheaus providing that leverage.

The allure of tempo and what UVa could look like if the staff decides to drop that hammer remains intriguing. Depending on who you talk to, there are those that say the plan last year going in was to go fast. Somewhere, that obviously changed. So now, with Perkins’ experience level in the offense and more familiarity with the personnel, might the staff be more keen to try? It wouldn’t surprise us and that would be a significant tick in the “improvement” category should they go that route.

Either way, Perkins has plenty of time to rep that throwing hand and get the timing down with his group of receivers. We have very little doubt that he’ll rise to the occasion and that, if needed, Armstrong will be more than ready for the challenge during his redshirt freshman season.

A year ago this time, many wondered what Virginia's offense would really look like with a non-proven signal caller at the helm and a true freshman as his backup. Now, with a proven one and a very ready understudy? The sky truly is the limit.

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