The 3-2-1: Coastal Carolina

Three Things We Know

1. UVa has settled on two starting cornerbacks with another in rotation

The Cavaliers aggressively added defensive backs to the roster via the transfer portal in the offseason, and those additions competed throughout fall camp for the starting spots. When the dust settled, they went with Cincinnati transfer Jordan Robinson and Miami transfer Emmanuel Karnley at the outside corner spots. 

Virginia’s staff had to manage a bigger DB group in fall camp, as well as injuries or illnesses to a bunch of players, including both Robinson and Karnley. The two new starters bring a lot of size and athleticism to the position, with Robinson listed at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds and Karnley at 6-foot-3, 184 pounds. 

Both have P4 experience and had enough good moments during fall camp to earn the starting jobs. 

Tony Elliott also said on Tuesday that UVa will rotate Army transfer Donavon Platt with Robinson and Karnley, and Platt has the positional flexibility to play at a number of spots in the secondary. He had two interceptions at Army last year, and missed some time in fall camp as well. 

2. The program has a “no excuses” mindset going into the 2025 season

It’s Year 4 of the Elliott Era and the program has changed significantly over the first three years. 

The new football operations center has been open for more than a year, and the program has adjusted to the reality of revenue sharing and NIL, and became a real player in those areas in the offseason. UVa was able to add 50+ new players and 32 transfers, many of whom were highly sought-after by other P4 programs in the portal. 

In Tuesday’s presser, the “no excuses” mantra came up and Elliott didn’t shy away from the notion that UVa should be able to achieve their goals this year and it will be a major disappointment if they fall short again.

Elliott and the program face a pivotal year in Charlottesville. The roster is significantly better and deeper across the board and the schedule looks manageable. UVa has four of its first five games at home and seven home games total for the first time since 2019. 

While the players and coaches will be aiming for a conference title, fans may be willing to accept simply having a winning season and showing demonstrable improvement. Anything short of that will be seen as a failure, both inside and outside the building.

3. The Hoos are hoping improved defensive line depth will challenge opposing offenses this season.

The transfer portal additions were focused on nearly every position on the roster, but there was a particular emphasis on getting better in the trenches. 

On the defensive line, UVa was aggressive in adding talent and depth, and looks to have a much more imposing unit heading into Saturday’s opener. Elliott said in Tuesday’s presser that being able to have rotations at all positions across the defensive line was an emphasis for the staff in the offseason, after seeing how other programs in the ACC were able to exploit UVa’s offensive line by staying fresh throughout the game. 

The Wahoos return nose tackle Jahmeer Carter, as well as fellow interior linemen Jason Hammond and Anthony Britton, but surrounded them with a bunch of new faces both at the edge spots and on the interior. 

UVa will certainly be looking to rotate in a bunch of linemen throughout Saturday’s opener, and if the group can stay healthy, they should be able to continue to do that throughout the season. 

Two Questions

1. Will Ethan Minter be able to take a big step forward at safety?

With Antonio Clary still working back from an injury and out for the season opener, sophomore Ethan Minter is listed as a starter at safety for this week. Minter played in a reserve role last year as a true freshman after making the transition from high school quarterback to collegiate defensive back. He showed flashes, but it’s clear that he has taken some steps forward from his first year to his second year. Now, we’ll see if Minter can make similar strides in game settings.

Elliott said in Tuesday’s presser that Minter’s QB experience has helped in his development at safety, as he can identify offensive sets and personnel and help him diagnose plays before they happen. The Chesterfield native had to beat out a lot of talented and experienced transfers to be named the starter for Saturday’s opener, so it will be interesting to track his development this week and moving forward. 

2. Will Coastal Carolina’s new schemes and roster turnover cause UVa problems?

It’s always a bit of a mystery for coaching staffs to prepare for an opponent in the first week of the year. Rosters are always changing, as are staffs themselves, and sometimes you don’t really know what you’re going to see until the game starts. That’s certainly the case for Virginia’s prep for Coastal Carolina, a program that has changed quite a bit since the Hoos beat them in Conway last year. 

Coastal has 60+ new players on the roster, so the Hoos will have to prep for a completely different set of personnel. Coach Tim Beck also made coordinator changes on both sides of the ball, bringing in Drew Hollingshead from Western Kentucky to call the offense and Jeremiah Johnson from Louisiana Tech to run the defense. UVa’s staff has to prepare for the two new coordinators by watching their schemes from their previous stops, but will not get to see those schemes applied to Coastal’s roster. That can create a challenge. 

The first quarter or so of the game could be tricky, and then the Hoos will need to figure out what they’re seeing from the Chanticleers and settle in. Coastal will have challenges in preparation too of course, as UVa has 50+ newcomers and new starters across both sides of the ball. 

One Prediction

UVa will have three backs with 10+ carries on Saturday.

If the opener against Coastal Carolina goes well, the Wahoos should be out in front and able to run the ball more. In the initial depth chart, Virginia has NC Central transfer J’Mari Taylor in the starting role, though everyone knows that several backs will see carries. 

In Saturday’s opener, fans will get to see Taylor in live game action for the first time, and perhaps they’ll see why he was able to come in and win the starting job. Cavalier fans will also get to see Wyoming transfer Harrison Waylee for the first time after he transferred to UVa in the spring. And of course, senior Xavier Brown is back after taking on a bigger role last year and rushed for 488 yards. 

If all goes according to plan, UVa’s offense should be able to find work for all three backs, and then some. 

We expect the Hoos to try and get all three of Taylor, Brown and Waylee involved on Saturday and get all of them live game reps while not over-using any of them.