Virginia Football 2025: Defensive Preview

UVA presents a defense coming into its own

Image courtesy of @UVAfootball

The Golden Bears return to Memorial after a tough Friday night overtime loss in Blacksburg against a down year Virginia Tech. What was lost on the field was gained in friendship. As the Calgorithm plunges into an unholy alliance with VTech fans that rivals last year’s dalliance with SMU. Now attention turns to their fancy in state rivals in Charlottesville. Gone are the distant echoes of Enter Sandman, and the confusing flavor blitz of Rails. Khaki pants, and the whiff of private institution vibes on a public university have arrived on the doorstep of Berkeley, California.

While Cade Uluave had a hell of a game last weekend, earning ACC accolades along the way, the team as a whole will need to take tackling, physicality, and violence much more seriously to match a Virginia team that has been humming, spare for a weird one against NC State and narrowly avoiding whatever curse is radiating off of the 2025 Tar Heels, but who among us?

University of Virginia Football are seeing the dividends of their investment in football begin to pay off this season. After a few incredibly trying years that had little to do with football, the team is showing out as a significant offensive threat, with a defense that is just now catching up. Defensive Coordinator John Rudzinski is in his fourth year at Virginia, having coached exclusively at Air Force (his alma mater) previously. In 2020, Rudzinski led Air Force to one of its best defensive seasons in program history, before taking the job at UVA.

Defense 2024

• Allowed 408.3 yards per game

• Yards per play allowed hovered around 6 yards

• Around 105th nationally in yards allowed

Defense 2025

• Virginia runs a multiple 4-5-2 base

• Through eight games this season they have allowed 2,822 yards, or roughly 1,831 passing yards and 991 yards on the ground, though things have cleaned up the past few games.

• Seven forced turnovers in the last three games played

Provisional Starters

DE/Defensive Edge: Fisher Camac, Mitchell Melton

Interior DL: Jahmeer Carter, Jason Hammond

Linebackers: James Jackson, Kam Robinson

CB: Donavon Platt, Jordan Robinson

Safety: Devin Neal, Ethan Minter

Players to Watch

Maybe you recognize Safety and sometimes STAR Devin Neal from his previous stops at Baylor and Louisville, maybe not. He’s not getting the most heat in this defense, but he’s an experienced defender who tackles hard at the point of contact. It would be wise for Cal pass catchers to have a good idea of where he is on the field as they turn their head at the catch point. He joins a backfield with noted Miami transfer Emmanuel Karnley, a Walnut Creek native, who was the highest graded corner going into the portal this past spring.

Edge rusher Mitchell Melton has been getting into the backfield and creating pressure all season, but only in the past few games has he been getting sacks. This pressure has been one of the key difference makers in the string of one score games Virginia have played recently. The Ohio State transfer had a rotational role on the national championship team, but moved on to get even more tape.

How Does Cal Win This Game?

The Cavaliers have won their last three games by three points or less. Cal has had a more favorable high variance season than last year, but last week’s overtime affair in Blacksburg was tough. I think if you can keep it within an emotionally bearable margin for the players, this game is winnable by anyone, in a way that will surely be terrible for the heart health of fans on both sides.

In all earnestness, the defense coming to life coinciding with three one score wins makes me want to check in on where their offense is at. If we can cause more turnovers and tighten up in the backfield there’s a way to win this ball game. Keeping this UVA offense off the field to give JKS as many chances as possible to do his thing and tire out a UVA defense coming off three high stress games and a cross country flight.