Virginia and NC State square off this week in what feels like an early-season measuring stick for both programs, each hoping 2025 finally brings clear progress from a frustrating 2024. For Virginia, the benchmark is straightforward: reach a bowl game for the first time under Tony Elliott. A win in Raleigh would be a massive step toward that goal, likely setting the Hoos up for a 4-0 start.
Elliott enters year four in Charlottesville, and the clock is starting to tick loudly. On paper, UVA showed modest progress last fall—improving from three wins to five—but the underlying numbers told a different story. The Cavaliers still struggled badly on a down-to-down basis, finished the season losing six of their last seven, and only one of those losses was within single digits. Their best win? A shaky road victory at Pittsburgh.
In response, UVA leaned hard into the transfer portal, ushering in the revenue-share era by adding 32 newcomers with more than 120 combined college starts. With 14 starters departing, the strategy was clear: plug the roster holes with as much veteran experience as possible. The result? Nineteen players in their sixth or seventh college season—including three seventh-year guys. They’ve been dubbed the “old-ass Cavs.” A lot of people go to college for seven years. Usually, they’re called doctors. At Virginia, they’re football players.
The most important of those veterans is quarterback Chandler Morris. Now in his sixth year, Morris arrives from North Texas after throwing for 3,800 yards and 31 touchdowns last season. He also has previous stops at Oklahoma and TCU, giving him the résumé to be a clear upgrade over last year’s options. UVA’s passing game in 2024 was abysmal—ranking 114th in success rate and 115th in EPA/play—and starter Anthony Colandrea averaged just 6.6 yards per attempt with 14 team interceptions.
Morris already flashed promise in the opener against Coastal Carolina, throwing for 264 yards and two scores on an efficient 9.8 yards per attempt. Yes, Coastal is bad, but Morris’s track record suggests he can deliver above-average play over the long haul—a must if UVA is going to contend for a bowl.
The supporting cast remains a question mark. The offensive line is breaking in three new starters (center, right guard, right tackle), and the skill positions are still sorting themselves out. Receiver Cam Ross looks like the best bet to emerge as the go-to weapon, after a Week 1 performance that included a 100-yard kickoff return TD and 124 receiving yards. At running back, NC Central transfer J’Mari Taylor—an 1,100-yard rusher last year—joins the committee, but he managed just 32 yards on 10 carries in the opener.
Defensively, Virginia is hitting reset on a secondary that was among the nation’s worst in 2024. On one hand, that level of turnover might not be a bad thing. On the other, it’s hard to project meaningful improvement right away. The front seven at least brings in some punch with UNLV transfer Fisher Camac (7.5 sacks, 15 TFLs last season) and returns linebacker Kam Robinson, though Robinson—second on the team with 64 tackles last year—will miss the NC State game while recovering from injury.
What will this defense look like in the long run—or even on Saturday? Nobody knows.
Should NC State be expected to win this game by more than a field goal? Maybe. Maybe not. As with everything about these Cavaliers, we’ll just have to wait and see what’s what—and who’s Hoo.
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