UVa will lean on an experienced, talented LB group to lead the D

UVa’s roster has turned over this offseason but there is one position on the defense that brings back a lot of its production from a year ago. 

The defense returns most of it’s linebacker group from the 2024 roster, as the position has seen more continuity than any other group on the team. Add in the fact that its also added some talent and it’s clear why there’s a lot of optimism about the position.

Heading into the 2025 season, UVa’s group is headlined by a trio of returnees: Kam Robinson, James Jackson and Trey McDonald. The three of them combined for 157 tackles, eight sacks and two interceptions last year. That makes them arguably the defense’s most-productive group.

With so many new players on the roster who are still learning, UVa is benefiting from having a veteran linebacker group with experience in the system. 

“It’s the role of a good linebacker,” McDonald said. “Being in the middle of everybody, they all look to you to lead them and be an example for what we need to do. With all these new faces, sometimes you’ll make a check and get a confused look. And if you don’t know what they have to do then that’s an issue on top of that.”

While the linebacker group hasn’t changed much, the dramatic shift in the rest of the defense is quite evident. There are transfer additions all over the roster, and that should lead to better outcomes on Saturdays. 

“We just have so much more depth in practice. It makes it easier in games and overall it’s just better for the defense,” Jackson said after a recent fall camp practice. “We have more guys, if someone is tired, we can get someone fresh on the field.”

Marcellus turning heads

One transfer addition to the linebacker group was Eastern Kentucky’s Maddox Marcellus, who chose UVa over a lot of other P4 interest. Marcellus was quite productive at EKU and flashed impressive athleticism on tape. If nothing else, he should be another option the staff can go to at the position. That would ensure nobody has to play every snap of a game and can focus on staying healthy and fresh.

“Maddox is not only a great player and a very smooth athlete but on top of that he’s a great teammate,” McDonald said of Marcellus. “It’s been a great ride with him and I can’t wait to see what he can bring to this team, and it will be greatness.”

Jackson is thankful to be back

Staying healthy will be a big focus for this group, as injuries have cost them in the past. No player knows that better than Jackson, who has suffered a few injuries during his career, and missed the end of last season. He had to sit out most of fall camp last year and then missed UVa’s final five games of the regular season. Jackson earned his degree, but losing the end of last season made him more likely to want to return for another year in Charlottesville. 

“I had been living in the moment, I didn’t really think way into the future before the injury happened,” the fifth-year linebacker said. “Last year I didn’t do any fall camp, I was coming off of a surgery. Coming into the year I felt like I had a good start to the season, I was feeling good about it. Then I had the injury happen and everything got flipped upside down for me. It would’ve been a decision I had to  make either way, but I wanted to come back after that for sure.”

Going without Kam for a bit

Robinson, who was banged up through all of last season, came into camp healthy but took a shot early that led to a slight fracture of his collarbone. While that has since been surgically repaired, head coach Tony Elliott said he’ll miss a couple of weeks to start the season.

Whether Robinson can take yet another step in an already-impressive career is one of the major storylines of this upcoming season. He went from a freshman with obvious talent and athleticism in 2023 to one of the team’s best players in 2024. So what’s next for the Tappahannock native?

“Kam has all the talent in the world, he has all the tools,” Jackson said of his teammate. “And he’s a smart football player, too. I’ve got to see him grow since he got here and seeing how he’s grown into a leadership role, that’s been really fun for me. Everyone on the team knows he has something that only a few guys got so it’s really fun to play with him.” 

McDonald echoed those sentiments.

“He is just a freak. It’s awesome to see him move,” he said of Robinson. “I’ve seen him take the next steps in communicating and knowing what he has to do but also what everyone else around him is doing so he can understand the scheme as a whole. It’s been great to see that.”

UVa knows it need more pressure

That athleticism in the linebacker room gives the staff more schematic flexibility. A major goal for John Rudzinski‘s defense this year will be to get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and the athletic linebacker group can certainly help with that. 

“Coach Rud does a great job getting us in good spots where we can have matchups that are favorable for us as linebackers,” Jackson explained. “We have a lot of speed in the group and guys that can get after the quarterback. It might not be the thing we work on the most, but it’s something we’ve been working on a lot more over the summer.”

“A guy like Kam Robinson, who is one of the best athletes on the field, he’s going to find a way to get to the quarterback,” he added. “Same with Landon Danley, Trey McDonald has that ability and Maddox Marcellus and myself, I feel like we can all do those things. It’s going to be a point of emphasis for us.”

Setting the tone

UVa’s experience and depth at linebacker should pay off this season, as the Hoos look to right the ship and have a productive season on the field.

The focus now, as the season opener looms, is for that group to set the tone for the rest of the defense and take advantage of this deeper, more talented roster. 

“We’ve just been trying to push the standard,” Robinson said recently. “We know our culture here and we just want the new guys to come in and if they can learn the culture, they can help us win games.

“We want it bad,” he added.