Virginia Football: Cavaliers could surprise, defend Coastal title in 2021

Defense hopes for a bounce-back in 2021

Virginia has had some very good defenses under Mendenhall, but last year they were pretty bad all around and the Cavaliers have to be hoping that last season was just a flash in the pan and that they can return back to the way they were playing two seasons ago.

On the defensive line, Mandy Alonzo and Adeeb Atariwa are going to man the edges and Aaron Faumui is going to man the middle at nose tackle. Jahmeer Carter is another name to watch out for at nose tackle. This is a group that was pretty solid against the run, but they need to greatly improve the pass rush for the defense to improve.

At linebacker, the Cavaliers are going to be missing Charles Snowden, but they have some playmakers at the position still. Noah Taylor and Nick Jackson are going to be the leaders of the defense and Jackson is going to be looking to top his team-leading 103 tackles. Elliott Brown and Hunter Stewart are going to be the other starting linebackers and I think both of those guys can have a big impact on the season.

The secondary was a big weakness for the team last season and they are going to need to be much better than they were last season. There is plenty of experience in the secondary, but I don’t know how much talent is actually there. At cornerback, Nick Grant and Darrius Bratton figure to start, and at safety, Joey Blount and Antonio Clary are going to be the guys. This is the unit that needs to improve the most, as Virginia ranked 123rd in pass defense.