Game week is mere hours away. Virginia's preparations for the season opener against NC State are underway - and ACC football will soon grace the Charlottesville area. The Cavaliers taking the field may not be entirely familiar to fans, however.
While longtime starters such as Noah Josey, Kam Robinson, Dakota Twitty and others are all known by the Virginia faithful, there are several new transfers who will play major roles. The theme of this roster is mixing those transfers with returning starters.
As the Cavaliers set off on their 2026 season, here are three key duos they will heavily rely upon in the effort to return to the ACC Championship game.
Ultimately, what will take Virginia's defense from great to truly elite will be if it can generate sacks. The Cavaliers forced pressures well last year, but often came a few inches away from downing opposing quarterbacks for a loss of yards.That can be a problem against mobile quarterbacks.
Both Camac and Fobbs-White have a history of forcing loads of pressures but only getting home a few times in a season. If they can each produce six or more sacks, then Virginia has a good chance of winning some big games this year.The Cavaliers need their starters on the edge to excel.
Middlebrook and Lewis are going to be the heart of this offense. The Cavaliers may run the ball more than they ever have before - and that starts with their top two running backs. They may even have packages in which both Middlebrook and Lewis share the field at times.
This will likely be a more even snap share compared to J'Mari Taylor and Harrison Waylee from last year. Perhaps offensive coordinator Des Kitchings even rolls with some 22 personnel to maximize the talent he has at his disposal.
Cox appears to be the leading candidate to be the No. 2 tight end. Virginia will need him to fill the Sage Ennis role. Most importantly, the Cavaliers need Twitty and Cox to stay healthy. When the top two tight ends are available, this offense is capable of dropping 40-plus on most teams it will face this year.
Known as a blocker, Cox should be able to contribute to the run game immediately. If he can show some enhanced receiving skills, though, Virginia's ceiling is raised significantly. Ennis tied for the team lead with five receiving touchdowns, and he did so as the primary blocking tight end.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginia as Three key duos Virginia football will rely on this season .
