The Virginia Cavaliers are less than two weeks away from live football against the NC State Wolfpack. Practice is in full force, the depth chart is starting to clear up, and it is almost time to spot the ball on the gridiron.
To me, one position group has more question marks than any other: wide receivers. It isn’t a question of talent or ability to compete in the ACC; rather, who will be the main guy? Who will fill the roles of Trell Harris, Cam Ross, Eli Wood, and Jahmal Edrine? They have the guys to do it, but how long will it take to determine specific roles for this unit?
As of a couple of days ago, the UVA offensive coordinator Des Kitchings mentioned that there was no separation thus far in fall camp, and he is still looking for some sort of consistency from this group. Time is of the essence here for the coaching staff to evaluate and put the best wide receiver corps out there against a talented NC State defense.
Let’s take a look at a potential depth chart for this unit.
Starters:
Outside Receiver: Da’Shawn Martin (Junior from Kent State) or TyLyric Coleman (Returner)
Slot: Jacquon Gibson (Grad Transfer from UMass) or Kam Courtney (Returner)
Outside Receiver: Rico Flores Jr. (Grad transfer from UCLA)
Key Backups:
Dylan Cope (Freshman)
Dylan Newton-Short (Sophomore)
Isaiah Robinson (Sophomore)
TeKai Kirby (Senior)
Josiah Abdullah (RS Freshman)
The wide receiver position for your Virginia Cavaliers is completely up for grabs for whoever wants to separate themselves. I imagine the depth chart will fluctuate through the first couple of weeks of the season, but it’s essential for the coaching staff to properly evaluate these guys over the next ten days as practice intensifies.
Based on what I have heard about practice thus far and what I have read about how fall camp is unfolding, I would expect a combo of Da’Shawn Martin, TyLyric Coleman, Rico Flores Jr., and Dylan Cope outside, and Jacquon Gibson and Kam Courteney to take up the bulk of the playing time in the slot at least for the first few weeks.
Confidence Rating: 7/10
Virginia has talent at this position; there is no doubting that. Also, with how good their run game is expected to be, with the star power and depth they have at running back, and an absolute unit of a front five there to create holes for them, the wideouts won’t have to be spectacular for the Cavaliers to have a season like they did last year; they just have to be effective.
