CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Tony Elliott is entering his fifth season as Virginia’s football coach. And, for the fifth straight year, he’ll have a new starting quarterback.

Whether it’s Missouri transfer Beau Pribula or Pittsburgh transfer Eli Holstein, the Cavaliers will operate with a fresh-to-the-program face behind center.

UVA fans will get their first chance to see the new signal callers Saturday, during the team’s annual spring game at Scott Stadium. The intrasquad scrimmage will be the 15th and final practice of the spring.

“From an identity standpoint, it’s a very workmanlike group,” Elliott said this week. “Practices have been a lot of fun to go to.”

Saturday’s game will feature a modified scoring system, with the offense able to put up points in traditional ways – six points for a touchdown, three for a field goal, one for an extra point – while the defense can get on the board by forcing a turnover (six points), forcing a three-and-out (three) and forcing a punt (one).

Quarterbacks won’t be live during the spring game, meaning the defense won’t be allowed to hit Pribula, Holstein or Virginia’s other signal callers.

The scrimmage will start with the first-team offense working against the first-team defense. The second drive will feature the second-teamers.

The second half will mostly involve third- and fourth-string players.

The offense will be coached by quarterbacks coach Taylor Lamb, while the defense will be led by linebackers coach Mike Adams.

This year’s spring game will not be televised. Admission is free.

While the competition to replace Chandler Morris at quarterback has been the biggest headline of the spring, for UVA to build off its program-record 11 wins in 2025, a number of other spots must be shored up.

Here’s three other positions to keep an eye on Saturday.

Wide receiver

Virginia lost its top three pass catchers from last season in Trell Harris, Cam Ross and Jahmal Edrine. In all, five of the top six most productive wide receives are gone. UVA worked to address that through the transfer portal, bringing in a group headlined by UCLA transfer Rico Flores Jr. Flores Jr. and UMass transfer Jacquon Gibson.

The Cavaliers will need contributions from two other additions – Da’Shawn Martin (Kent State) and Tyson Davis (Central Michigan) – as well from a cast of returners. Kam Courtney is the likely starter in the slot and TyLyric Coleman and Dillon Newton-Short could be poised for breakout years.

Spring game sleeper: Coaches have raved about the playmaking ability of freshman Dylan Cope.

 

Cornerback

The position has been a bit of a revolving door during Elliott’s tenure, and this year is no exception. Rutgers transfer Jacobie Henderson is a likely starter at one spot, but Virginia needs to solidify the second spot.

Donovan Platt, who played there last season, has also worked at nickel, and Jam Jackson, who was injured last year, will work there Saturday.

Wisconsin transfer Omillio Agard, who will miss the spring game with an injury, could be a factor in the fall.

Spring game sleeper: Justin Ross played in 22 games over two seasons at Navy, including starting nine last year. He picked off two passes during his time with the Midshipmen. Ross ran track and played basketball, in addition to football, as a high schooler.

 

Running back

This might be the deepest position for the Cavaliers. How will they split up the carries? The spring game might give some glimpse into that plan. Two transfers in Peyton Lewis (Tennessee) and Jakail Middlebrook (Middle Tennessee State) are the likely workhorses. Lewis brings a combination of size and speed that UVA has not had in recent years at the position, while Middlebrook has drawn comparisons to last year’s breakout star, J’Mari Taylor.

But Solomon Beebe (UAB) and returners Xavier Brown and Noah Vaughn could also factor in.

Spring game sleeper: Noah Vaughn had a big spring game in 2024 as a sophomore. He’s a bit of a forgotten man with the three transfer additions, but the senior could change that Saturday.