- Head coach: Tony Elliott (third season)
- 2023 record: 3-9
- PFF power ranking: 101st
- Chance to win the ACC: 1%
- Strength of schedule: 31st
- Projected win total: 5.2
- FanDuel win total: 4.5
- 2024 recruiting rank (On3): No. 77 nationally, No. 15 in the ACC
Tony Elliott’s second season as Virginia’s head coach ended similarly to his first, with just three wins. He now has a 6-16 record overall, increasing pressure as he heads into his third year at the helm. If the Cavaliers are going to improve, it’ll likely be on the back of sophomore quarterback Anthony Colandrea and their passing attack. However, they must get better in the trenches. Virginia earned the third-worst PFF pass-blocking grade in college football last year and fielded the fifth-lowest-graded defensive line.
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Biggest Strength: A passing game with potential
Virginia fans should be excited about the continued development of quarterback Anthony Colandrea. He turned it on down the stretch in 2023 and led all FBS true freshmen in adjusted completion rate (73.6%). While the Cavaliers lost wide receiver Malik Washington to the NFL, they did return Malachi Fields (811 receiving yards last season) and added some weapons through the transfer portal, namely Notre Dame’s Chris Tyree.
Biggest Weakness: Defensive line
Virginia had the lowest-graded defensive line in the Power Five last year, posting just a 56.9 mark. The Cavaliers recorded the fifth-worst pressure rate in the Power Five (24.8%) and allowed more than five yards per rushing attempt. They also didn’t add any defensive linemen through the transfer portal, so they will need to see significant improvement from their guys.
Three Notable Transfer Portal Additions
- WR Chris Tyree (Notre Dame): 74.4 PFF grade
- S Corey Thomas Jr. (Akron): 79.2 PFF grade
- CB Kempton Shine (Eastern Michigan): 73.1 PFF grade
Three Notable Transfer Portal Losses
- S Langston Long (USF): 67.7 PFF grade
- S Dave Herard (Western Kentucky): 58.0 PFF grade
- RB Amaad Foston (Hampton): 72.8 PFF grade
2023 Team Overview
Offense |
||||
| EPA per play | Yards per play | Successful play rate | Explosive run play rate | Explosive pass play rate |
| -0.081 | 5.2 | 33.6% | 12.9% | 13.5% |
| 102nd | T-102nd | 86th | 106th | 78th |
Defense |
||||
| EPA allowed per play | Yards allowed per play | Successful play rate allowed | Explosive run rate allowed | Explosive pass rate allowed |
| 0.057 | 6.0 | 36.7% | 15.7% | 13.2% |
| 102nd | T-98th | 102nd | T-74th | 49th |
Quarterback Spotlight: Anthony Colandrea
2023 Grade: 71.6
Key Stat: 85.0 PFF overall grade over final three starts in 2023
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