Virginia Cavaliers Season Preview

Coach London will welcome back 44 returning lettermen and 12 starters...Off ensive priorities include developing playmakers at wide receiver and running back...Johns impressed in the spring and claimed the starting QB position with Lambert then deciding to transfer...But the Cavaliers received a pair of transfers themselves in RB Albert Reid (Maryland) and TE Charlie Hopkins (Stanford)...Th e off ensive line returns four starters in Ts Michael Mooney and Eric Smith, G Ryan Doull and C Ross Burbank...Burbank moved to G, with Jackson Matteo taking over at C and redshirt freshman Jake Fieler ended spring ahead of Smith at the RT position...UVa improved to 19th nationally in sacks allowed last year a lot of the credit for that goes to its O-line which this year will work to improve the Cavaliers’ ground attack...RBs Taquan Mizzell (280 yds, 4.4 avg, 39 catches), Daniel Hamm and Reid step into the void left by Parks, who had 3,219 career rushing yards...UNC graduate transfer T.J. Th orpe will add a deep threat to a receiver corps that already includes WRs Canaan Severin (42 catches, 5 TDs), Andre Levrone and Keeon Johnson...Defensively, UVa will have to fi nd replacements for fi ve of its top six tacklers from a year ago...DE Mike Moore and DT David Dean return to the line as does DE Kwontie Moore and DTs Andrew Brown and Donte Wilkins, a trio of key backups from last year...LB Micah Kiser (15 tackles) and OLB Zach Bradshaw fi nished spring as the leaders at MLB and WLB, respectively and will be joined by SLB Mark Hall.....Blanding leads a veteran secondary that also includes Maurice Canady, 2013 starter CB Demetrious Nicholson and Tim Harris at CB with Kelvin Rainey taking over the SS position.