色多多

Pace finished with 499 yards and three touchdowns on 4.4 yards per run while Brown had 488 yards and a score on 6.1 yards per carry.

So, Virginia鈥檚 drought continued.

The Cavaliers enter 2025 without having had a 500-yard rusher since former quarterback Bryce Perkins racked up 769 yards on the ground in 2019. A UVa running back hasn鈥檛 eclipsed 500 yards rushing since Jordan Ellis ran for 1,026 yards in 2018.

Pace is out of eligibility, but Brown said he鈥檚 made a steady effort to last the duration of a season.

鈥淚鈥檓 taking more initiative,鈥� Brown said at the conclusion of the spring.

He鈥檚 had his fair share of injuries throughout his career 鈥� a collarbone injury last November, and a dislocated elbow and a triceps issue in 2023. Brown has focused, he said, on hip and ankle mobility in the weight room and he鈥檚 taking supplements to help with bone health and muscle strength.

鈥淢y goal this year is to make it through without any nicks and dings,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淚n the offseason, I鈥檝e been taking care of my body. I鈥檝e been stretching every night and getting my body right. That鈥檚 my main goal. It鈥檚 to stay healthy all year.鈥�

UVa and fourth-year coach Tony Elliott, who has made no secrets about his desire for the Hoos to run the ball better throughout his tenure, have also bolstered the depth of the position via the transfer portal by acquiring J鈥橫ari Taylor (North Carolina Central) in the winter and Harrison Waylee (Wyoming) after the spring.

, that it wouldn鈥檛 be stunning if he battles Brown for the starting role and they end up sharing the duty. Both will play and carry the ball plenty, but who starts could fluctuate depending on who is performing better during a particular stretch of the season.

Last year, Taylor became North Carolina Central鈥檚 first 1,000-yard rusher in two decades.

鈥淗e has good shoulder structure, good hips and quads and you started to see in the spring where he was running through contact and getting that [yards after contact],鈥� offensive coordinator Des Kitchings said. 鈥淥bviously, we want to be able to run the football around here and with the O-Line coming along, [Taylor] and [Brown] give us a one-two punch.鈥�

Waylee is a proven player, too, and he significantly improves UVa鈥檚 third option at running back compared to last year.

He missed the first eight games of 2024 at Wyoming with a knee injury, but rattled off 170 rushing yards in a win over New Mexico in his first game back last November. It was the 11th 100-yard rushing performance of his career, which spanned two seasons with the Cowboys and three at Northern Illinois.

Waylee logged two of those 100-yard games against power conference competition, tallying 144 rushing yards and a touchdown to help Northern Illinois beat Georgia Tech in 2021, and 110 yards and a score in Wyoming鈥檚 loss to Texas in 2023.

Those three 鈥� Brown, Taylor and Waylee 鈥� should handle all of UVa鈥檚 meaningful carries this coming season.

Running backs

Projected starter: Xavier Brown

Projected contributors: J鈥橫ari Taylor, Harrison Waylee

Others of note: Noah Vaughn, Xay Davis, Davis Lane, Owen Gardner

Position coach: Keith Gaither (fourth season)

Need to know: During the spring, running backs coach Keith Gaither said after the coaching staff evaluated the 2024 season, the collective thought was that Brown needed more touches last year. 鈥� Brown has different ways to impact the game, too. Brown had two receiving touchdowns last fall as well, and averaged 14.1 yards per catch, which proves how productive he can be in that department, too. 鈥� Noah Vaughn was recovering from injury during the spring and didn鈥檛 participate in practices, so training camp will be crucial for him if he wants to contend with the veterans for playing time. 鈥� Xay Davis, a product of the Collegiate School in Richmond, was ranked as the 35th best prospect in Virginia in 2025 recruiting class by 247Sports.