VIrginia Cavaliers Football: 2015 Season Preview and Prediction

Sep 6, 2014; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Richmond Spiders offensive players line up against Virginia Cavaliers defensive players in the first quarter at Scott Stadium. The Cavaliers won 45-13. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Outlook

Virginia’s defense may have been strong last year, but much of that strength left as the season ended. Linebackers Henry Coley, Daquan Romero, and Max Valles have all departed, and defensive end Eli Harold also decided to leave early. So what do the Cavaliers have left? A very depleted front seven, that’s what.

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However, fans shouldn’t start to panic too much. Usually a program and coach that has cultivated a strong defense in the past tends to continue that trend through all sorts of shifts and player changes. Also, one got the feeling that Virginia’s defense was the stronger side of the team last season because they had to be to make up for the offense’s inadequacies. There’s always the chance that this season’s offense will have it together enough so that the defense won’t constantly need to shoulder the burden.

Safety Quin Blanding is one of the best players at his position in the country and will be one of the leaders of the defense despite only being a sophomore, and he’ll be setting the example for the potentially very talented secondary, which includes cornerback Maurice Canady.

Senior linebackers Kwonie Moore and David Dean will in be charge of whipping the incoming, inexperienced linebackers into game time shape, and fans can only hope the defense will be shored up enough in time for season opener UCLA so that it isn’t just sheer devastation running all over the defensive line.

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