In the annual Blue/White game, played earlier this month at Scott Stadium, the offenses for both teams got off to slow starts. There were no points scored until a field goal was made on the final play of the first half, and as always, the game plan was pretty vanilla as there’s no reason to get too exotic months before a real game is played.
But while there weren’t a ton of fireworks in the first half, Virginia fans got their first taste of transfer quarterbacks Chandler Morris and Danny Kaelin, both of whom showed flashes of ability. Morris, the more experienced of the two signal callers, finished 12-of-15 passing for 155 yards, and led a late drive for points just before halftime. Kaelin led the blue team, and marched up and down the field, though they struggled to put points on the board. Kaelin finished the game 6-for-12 passing for 67 yards, and had a few nice throws that demonstrated noteworthy arm talent.
There has been a lot of talk of late about the value of spring games, and whether they should be phased out as some programs have already moved away from them. But for UVa’s two new quarterbacks, every rep helps and the game-like nature of the scrimmage gave Kaelin and Morris a different perspective.
“I think the speed is kind of the same,” Kaelin said after the game wrapped. “We’ve been scrimmaging and doing stuff throughout the spring against that same defense. But just to have the fans out there and be on the field is a little different.”
“There’s definitely value in it,” Morris added, when asked about a spring game versus a traditional practice. “The biggest thing to me was to be able to go out and showcase to the fans for the first time. I think any time you get to put the ball down in front of the fans it’s a great opportunity, and you only get a first impression one time.”
UVa fans got to see both signal callers, and both had strong moments that should leave an impression heading into summer and ultimately fall camp and the 2025 season. Morris is more of a known commodity, having played several seasons of college football as a starter. Kaelin redshirted his lone season at Nebraska, and UVa fans likely weren’t too familiar with his skillset. The redshirt freshman QB was happy with his performance overall, but knows he has things to work on, too.
“Overall, a pretty solid performance. I think the biggest thing is there are a lot of times I could have gone through my progressions and hit a little checkdown and kept some drives going,” Kaelin said, acknowledging that his team did stall out a few times while he was in the game. “But overall it was a lot of fun to be out there with the guys, and out there competing.”
Kaelin had to scramble around more than he, or UVa fans, probably anticipated, but he did rally for some gains here and there. Kaelin isn’t exactly known as a dual-threat QB, but being able to extend plays certainly helps, and he’s been working on that since he arrived on Grounds.
“I would say that’s something that’s definitely improved, especially since I’ve gotten here. I would say that’s a testament to some of the stuff in the weight room and things like that. I’ve gotten a lot stronger and I think more athletic since I’ve been here,” Kaelin said . “In the past, people wouldn’t necessarily say that I could affect the game with my legs. So I definitely wanted to make sure that I have the ability when it presents itself to take yards and make some plays with my feet.”
Kaelin also had a moment on 3rd down on the first drive of the game, where there seemed to be some confusion between playcaller and QB, and alignment issues led to a timeout that neither Kaelin or offensive coordinator Des Kitchings wanted to take. Even in a moment like that though, there’s value for Kaelin.
“There’s things like that when you play in a real game-like environment, with situations like the two minute drill and stuff like that, I think stuff like that is definitely valuable,” the Nebraska native said. “Obviously it’s a mistake on the communication or whatever, but at the same time you want some of those things to happen so they don’t happen in the future.”
Morris acknowledged the red zone hang ups too, though he said that the conservative nature of the game plan played a role in the lack of success there, for both teams.
“I think you saw the offense stalling out when we got to the red zone,” Morris said. “It’s good defense also but also we’re not trying to show too much in the red zone.”
UVa’s entire roster has been overhauled since the end of last season. The quarterback position is the most important on any football team, so UVa tried to address it with two quality additions that can now compete for the job. But while the focus is on the quarterbacks and their development, a huge portion of the offense is learning together in their first spring in Charlottesville. Kaelin said that the extra work that everyone has been able to put in has helped make that transition more smooth for him and Morris.
“It’s really been new for everybody. We have two new quarterbacks, some transfer guys, and obviously everyone is new to me,” Kaelin explained. “From the get go, it was important to establish some rhythm and timing and get some extra routes in. It’s been a good transition and I think the spring has been super positive; just getting a lot of reps whether it be routes on air, which can be super valuable when you’re working with new guys, and then just team reps. Overall I think you can see the jump from when we first got here to now, it feels like we have a really good connection.”
Morris is now on his fourth stop, after playing at Oklahoma, TCU, North Texas and now Virginia. Morris is at Virginia because of the success he had last year with the Mean Green, which had one of the most prolific passing attacks in the country. Morris has played on really good football teams, including one that played for the national title (TCU). But he’s been impressed with the talent the coaching staff has brought together on this roster, which bodes well for a turnaround in the fall.
“I’ve been a part of some really good offenses. This past year we were 3rd in the country. This group that we’ve got here, we’ve got a lot of depth,” UVa’s senior QB said. “We’ve got a lot of different weapons. There’s just a different style of play from a lot of different receivers. You’ve got big-bodied receivers and tight ends, and smaller guys with speed that can really dominate the ball. It’s been really good.”
While a lot of ground has been covered in the spring, there’s still plenty of work to do in the months leading into fall camp, as the quarterback battle continues. When asked what both they and the offense as a whole can work on between now and the season opener, Morris and Kaelin gave similar answers.
“I think playbook-we can get better at that. In spring you put a lot in and see what sticks, and then you kind of evaluate after spring ball. Getting together after spring ball and in the summer and throwing, and meshing on that playbook,” Morris said. “Now I’ve got film I can watch with them and study with them, too.”
“Continuing to master the offense, really know where my outlets and check downs are when things break down. I think that, today, could’ve helped me for sure,” Kaelin said when asked what he’ll be working on in the summer. “And then offensively, I think the more reps we get together, the better we’re going to be, especially when we talk about how many new faces have shown up this semester; so I just think the more reps we get the better.”
