Position Group Preview: Defensive Line

With the football season opener right around the corner, we’re continuing our Position Group Preview series with the defensive line, a new-look group boosted by a ton of transfer additions.

2024 Performance

A defensive line can be evaluated in a lot of different ways, but the easiest way to explain UVa’s 2024 performance is to look at sacks and tackles for loss. For the second-consecutive year, UVa struggled mightily to get after opposing quarterbacks, finishing 108th nationally in sacks with 19 for 89 total sack yards. Virginia was also one of the worst defenses when it came to total tackles for loss, which speaks not only to pass rush, but also push against the run game. Uva recorded 55 tackles for loss last year, which ranked 114th nationally. 

UVa didn’t have a ton of individual standouts on the line as well, at least from a statistical point of view. Uva’s sack leader up front was Kam Butler, who finished with 2.5. Fellow defensive end Chico Bennett finished with just one sack on the season; both Butler and Bennett played in all 12 games. 

It’s not a surprise then, that UVa went out and aggressively added to the defensive line via the portal. They added talent and experience both on the edge and on the interior, and should have a lot more playable depth and potential going into this season.

The Projected Starters: Jahmeer Carter, Hunter Osborne, Jacob Holmes, Anthony Britton, Cazeem Moore, Mekhi Buchanan, Fisher Camac, Mitchell Melton, Billy Koudelka

Virginia’s projected defensive line rotation is expected to be a blend of returnees and transfer additions. Starting with the interior, UVa gets veteran Jahmeer Carter back for one final year in Charlottesville. Carter is an experienced player who can eat up blocks and make an impact in the run game. Carter has worked to be more of a three-down lineman, but with UVa’s additions at the defensive tackle spot, he probably won’t be called upon to play every down. Virginia added transfers Hunter Obsorne and Jacob Holmes in December, both of whom could play a significant number of snaps at tackle. Osborne was a reserve at Alabama but was highly touted coming out of high school and has obvious potential. He also flashed and made a couple of plays in April’s spring game. Holmes comes to UVa from Fresno State, where he was quite effective. Holmes recorded an impressive 7.5 TFLs and 3.5 sacks last year. Anthony Britton also returns, and should be part of a deeper rotation at defensive tackle.

On the edge, UVa has remade their pass rush group via the portal. They added Cazeem Moore from Elon, beating out a bunch of other schools for his signature. Moore recorded 51 tackles and six sacks last year, and was named Second-Team All CAA. UNLV’s Fisher Camac is more of a strongside end with long arms and good size at 6-foot-7, 248 pounds. Camac was an All Mountain West performer with the Rebels, and recorded 15 TFLs and 7.5 sacks last year. UVa also added Ohio State’s Mitchell Melton, who joined the program just after winning a national title with the Buckeyes. Melton, a DMV native, played in 13 games for Ohio State last year and recorded 3.5 TFLs and two sacks. He also represented UVa at ACC Kickoff last week. 

UVa also returns a couple of high-upside ends that should factor into the pass rush rotation. Mekhi Buchanan is back after missing all of last season with an injury, after playing quite a bit as a true freshman in 2023. And Billy Koudelka returns after a surprising inclusion in UVa’s initial depth chart last year. The former walk on saw playing time down the stretch and was UVa’s best player in the spring game, recording four sacks. 

The Depth Options: Daniel Rickert, Jewett Hayes, Chase Morrison, Evan Ward, Terrell Jones, Jason Hammond, Tyler Simmons, Sichan John

Virginia’s depth group is made up mostly of younger players but there are a few that could certainly end up in the rotations on Saturdays this fall. Daniel Rickert was a late transfer addition from Tennessee Tech. Rickert has a bit of catching up to do, but certainly has a shot to play quite a bit this fall. In 2024, he was first-team all conference and recorded 11 TFLs and seven sacks. UVa’s pass rush depth also includes Jewett Hayes, who saw playing time last year as a true freshman and flashed athletic upside, Chase Morrison, a second year who spent last year developing, and Evan Ward, a true freshman. On the interior, Jason Hammond is back after a promising start to last season that was cut short by injury. Terrell Jones was a rotational player as well, and has played both at end and tackle throughout his career. UVa also features second-year Tyler Simmons who redshirted last year, and true freshman Sichan John, who enrolled early and contributed in the spring. 

The Breakout Candidate: Billy Koudelka

We feel compelled to go with Koudelka here, though the competition for snaps will be fierce. UVa’s coaching staff talked about his upside early last season, and he ultimately found his way on the field and made a couple of plays in UVa’s home finale against SMU. His performance in the spring game turned heads as he was all over the field and consistently making plays. Koudelka may have come to UVa as a walk-on, but those around the program talk about him as a potential future pro because of his athleticism and work rate. He’ll have to earn whatever snaps he gets as UVa has added a lot of talent on the edge, but Koudelka clearly has a high ceiling and hopefully a bright future no matter what happens this year.

The Big Question: What can UVa get from their additions at defensive end?

UVa added enough talent on the edge that at least one or two of them have to work out, right? Camac, Moore, Rickert and Melton have all flashed either potential or productivity in recent years and if Virginia’s defensive coaches can find a way to turn this group loose, they could cause real havoc for opponents. Still, the hard part is actually going out and executing and despite the talent influx, the lack of sack production over the past couple seasons, despite having a few pass rushers that we were all high on, gives us a little bit of pause. Still, UVa has invested significantly towards getting after the quarterback more, and it seems more likely than not that this group will be a significant improvement over what Cavalier fans have seen from the pass rush in recent years.