CHARLOTTESVILLE 鈥 There鈥檚 an undeniable correlation between disruptive defense and team success in the ACC.
Six of the last 10 conference champions either led the ACC or tied for the league lead in total sacks. Three more were either second or third in the category.
Virginia, which is still seeking its first bowl appearance in fourth-year coach Tony Elliott鈥檚 tenure, was conscious in an offseason-long pursuit to improve the Cavaliers鈥 pass-rushing potential after the team struggled in that area over the last two seasons.
The Hoos鈥 19 total sacks in 2024 were second fewest in the ACC, and that was even a small increase from the 11 total sacks 鈥 fewest in the league and tied for the fewest in the FBS 鈥 UVa tallied in 2023.
So, Elliott and his staff kept adding personnel to the defensive front since last season ended, and the idea behind the approach was for the Cavaliers to have more capable defensive linemen to use this coming fall than any of the three previous years.
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鈥淵ou鈥檇 love to rotate multiple guys at each of those spots,鈥 on the defensive line, defensive coordinator John Rudzinski said.
鈥淚f you can keep snap counts somewhere between 35 and 40 [per D-lineman], I just think you鈥檙e fresher,鈥 he continued, 鈥渁nd particularly as you go deeper into the season and play a competitive ACC schedule. It allows you to continue to put great bodies out there and then there鈥檚 no one who wears down.鈥
The Hoos overhauled their group of defensive ends by acquiring Fisher Camac (UNLV), Mitchell Melton (Ohio State) and Cazeem Moore (Elon) in the winter and Daniel Rickert (Tennessee Tech) in late April to add to developing younger players like Mekhi Buchanan, Jewett Hayes and Billy Koudelka.
Camac, a 6-foot-7, 248-pounder, had 7.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss a season ago with the Rebels. Melton and Moore aren鈥檛 as lengthy, but Melton had two sacks last year for national champion Ohio State. Moore, an All-CAA second-teamer, had six sacks for the Phoenix. Rickert had 16 sacks over the last two years at Tennessee Tech.
鈥淚t gives you some flexibility, versatility and depth,鈥 Elliott said of the personnel changes UVa made to its D-end spot. 鈥淭he biggest thing is depth. And the fresher you can keep those guys and when you have versatility and you can change speed, power, body type and explosiveness on a tackle throughout the course of a game, it makes it difficult.鈥
Virginia defensive end Fisher Camac runs through a drill during practice in Charlottesville.
Elliott would know, too. He鈥檚 spoken frequently since arriving in Charlottesville about all the depth and athleticism Clemson鈥檚 defensive lines featured in the 11 years he spent on the Tigers鈥 coaching staff.
On the inside of the defensive line, the Cavaliers have returning starters in Jahmeer Carter for his sixth year and Anthony Britton for his junior season. Expected contributor Jason Hammond II is due back from a shoulder injury, too. UVa also brought in Jacob Holmes (Fresno State) and Hunter Osborne (Alabama).
To the credit of Carter and Britton, the Cavaliers took an important step forward in defending the run, limiting their opponents to 145.3 rushing yards per contest in 2024 after giving up 184.2 rushing yards per game in 2023.
Holmes should enable UVa to generate more pressure from the interior, though. He had 14.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks over the last two years as an impact player in the Mountain West Conference.
Osborne was highly recruited out of Hewitt-Trussville High School in Alabama, but only played in four games with the Crimson Tide. At 6-foot-4, 301 pounds, he at least gives UVa more size off the bench than it has had in recent seasons.
He鈥檚 one of four defensive tackles 鈥 along with Carter, Britton and freshman Sichan John 鈥 weighing at least 300 pounds.
