The 3-2-1: Spring ball midway point offers several takeaways

1. Malachi Fields is growing as a player but also as a leader in the locker room.

Malik Washington received most of the headlines for UVa at receiver last year, and for good reason, considering how impressive his record-setting campaign was. And while the Hoos went out and added a lot of talent at receiver from the portal, hopes are still quite high for Fields.

A Charlottesville native, he was second on the team in receptions with 58, yards with 811, and touchdowns with five. Washington’s numbers dwarfed Fields of course but that’s still quite a good season for the redshirt sophomore wideout.

Fields figures to take on a larger role this fall and could perhaps be designated as WR1, but Tony Elliott said that he has grown off the field too. Elliott said that Fields was a quieter player that led by example in his first few years but is now starting to take on more of a leadership role in the locker room, which could really help a receiver room in transition with a lot of younger players.

Fields showed what he could do last fall when healthy, and now, he’ll have a chance to show that he can take his game up another level this fall.

2. The UVa staff continues to prioritize special teams during spring ball.

When asked about UVa’s all-hands-on-deck approach to special teams and special teams coaching last season, and whether or not it helped, Elliott was quick to admit that what they tried last year failed.

Virginia’s third-year head coach pointed out that the Wahoos finished dead last in the ACC in special teams, a sign of how far they have to go. Special teams were costly to the Cavaliers in several close games, something the UVa’s staff is trying to avoid in 2024.

Elliott said this week that the coaches are doing everything they can to put a better product on the field, and that starts with emphasis and putting the right players in the right spots. UVa’s head coach feels better about the team’s depth overall, which should translate to better special teams play with more available players capable of executing assignments. And Elliott said that he’ll continue to tell the team that they’ll get to offense and defense work in practice after special teams has been prioritized.

3. Anthony Colandrea and Tony Muskett are sharing reps with the first-team offense.

Muskett’s offseason surgery went well and he ended up ahead of schedule, able to participate in spring ball. He and Colandrea split time at quarterback last fall as Muskett dealt with two different injuries, and in spring practice, it’s an open competition between the senior and sophomore.

Elliott said that the two signal callers have been sharing reps with the first team evenly in spring so far, and each is trying to improve their own game, with specific goals laid out for them. And the evaluation of the two should be revealing in the days to come, as UVa does more live practice work with 11-on -1 reps. Those situations will be easier for the staff to evaluate, and figure out which QB gives the team the best chance to win on Saturdays in the fall.

1. Which second-year player(s) will breakout in the fall?

In football, like in other sports, players often take a big step forward from their first to second years in a program. Going from high school to the collegiate level can be jarring, but it also gives players a chance to learn more complex schemes, play against more talented and physically mature players, while getting exposure to a college strength and conditioning program and better resources to support growth.

Several members of Elliott's first full recruiting class saw significant playing time last year and many others played sparingly. So which of them is set up to take a leap in year two?

Freshman receivers Suderian Harrison and Jaden Gibson played a lot last year, but they’ll have to earn their playing time in a suddenly crowded and talented position group. UVa could use running back depth, where second years Donte Hawthorn and Noah Vaughn can compete for time. And on defense, there are several young players who could break out, like edge rusher Mekhi Buchanan, one of the several defensive linemen in the pipeline, or a cornerback like Dre Walker, who played a lot and had some nice moments last year.

2. What can UVa do to create more havoc plays on defense?

Last year, the Hoos finished dead last nationally in both sacks (11) and sack yards (64). Just to put in perspective how low those numbers are, the team that finished a mediocre 70th nationally, Arizona State, had 26 sacks for 218 sack yards. The good news is that UVa returns basically all of its key pass rushers, and all but one of last year’s sacks. Kam Butler missed most of the season with an injury, and Chico Bennett got hurt in fall camp, and never really seemed to be the same player.

Elliott specifically mentioned that the team needs better hand placement when looking at improvement areas, and also stated that they’ll need to get to the quarterback with four rushers to be successful defensively. Just like special teams, creating sacks and TFL’s should be a primary focus for the coaching staff heading into a pivotal year.

The QB competition will go into the fall.

Muskett and Colandrea will compete through spring ball, and Cavalier fans will get to see the two of them play in a game-like setting in April 20th’s spring game at Scott Stadium. Last year, a healthy Muskett went into the spring and eventually fall camp as the presumptive starter, and did nothing to lose his job. But when injury provided an opportunity, Colandrea seized it and showed tremendous upside, though he wasn’t able to engineer many wins as a freshman.

Now, the two of them are healthy and headed towards a battle for the starting job, though there’s a pretty good chance that both of them end up playing in some capacity, either through injury or some other reason.

Our guess is that the competition between two competent quarterbacks will be strong and close enough that nobody can be declared the starter, barring an injury, until fall camp. Muskett has the experience edge but only by so much. Colandrea, meanwhile, seems like the player with the higher upside and perhaps has the better physical tools.

It’s a good thing to have two quality players battling it out for the job but their teammates, and the fanbase, likely won’t know who takes the first snap against Richmond on August 31st until late in the summer.