Fight Card Lightning Round -- A Whirlwind Tour of the Rest of the Roster

Tailback

Back from injury, and back to the one-cut-and-go style that made him a flash in the pan star back in the latter stages of the '07 season , senior Mikell Simpson is the obvious starter at RB for the Hoos. Simpson will start, and I think he's a great fit in the nohuddleshotgunspread offense -- he's a good receiver out of the backfield and he's good in the open field. Where he struggles is between the tackles and sifting through traffic, which is why I think Simpson will ultimately split carries with redshirt freshman Torrey Mack. Mack is the best all-around back on the roster, and has drawn early comparisons to Thomas Jones. He should excel as Simpson's change-of-pace counterpart, and he could also get some action returning kicks. Also factoring into the mix in the backfield are sophomore Max Milien, a great receiving back who was almost moved to wide receiver along with Raynard Horne, and junior Keith Payne, who is a powerful big back who isn't a great fit in the offense but might find a role as the goal line and short yardage back.

Prediction: Simpson and Mack split carries early, but by the end of the season, Mack will emerge as our best, most explosive option at tailback.

Position Grade: B+

We have good depth and talent at tailback. No worries here.

Fullback

The fullback position is basically non-existent in Gregg Brandon's offense, but senior Rashawn Jackson remains on the roster, ready to serve as the lead blocker in short yardage situations. I actually think there's a role for Jackson in this offense, as he offers a good set of hands out of the backfield, and more true *pop* as a power runner than Keith Payne. We could see him in some situational one-back looks out of the shotgun. Sophomore walk-on Curt Orshoski backs up Jackson, and is said to be a better in-line blocker.

Prediction: Jackson steals whatever carries Keith Payne would have gotten this season.

Position Grade: C

Myeh.

Tight End

The tight end position, once a major strength of the old UVA pro form / West Coast offense, is now a bit of a mystery in the new offense. Are the TEs going to play as big wide receivers? Or will Brandon mix in some regular TE-heavy Ace formation stuff like we've seen since 2001? The tea leaves started yielding some info when Rod Wheeler and Pat Devlin left the team to transfer to more "tight end friendly" offenses. Remaining on the team, junior Joe Torchia was in line to become UVA's "next great tight end," inheriting that distinction from John Phillips. Torchia is a big dude (6-5, 250) and by all accounts a very solid receiver. He saw a lot of action split wide in the Spring Game, and his size and strength could pose interesting matchup problems for linebackers or safeties trying to cover the slot. Athletic redshirt freshman Colter Phillips (no relation to John) will likely be Torchia's backup.

Prediction: At times, we'll mourn the passing of the tight end position here at UVA, especially when we fail to convert on a few tough perimeter runs or clutch short yardage receptions. Breaking the tight end and fullback eggs to make the spread offense omelet, we're trading a good deal of power and ball control ability for more big plays in the passing game... in 2009, I think we'll look at that tradeoff as being a wash as Torchia and Phillips' roles are systematically minimalized in order to get more of our fleet-footed wideouts on the field. Joe Torchia's loss could be a guy like Tim Smith's gain... but will it ultimately prove to be the best thing for the offense?

Position Grade: Incomplete

We don't know what we have in these two guys, but we also don't know how they'll fit in with the offense. It's all a big question mark.

Defensive End

Last year, Matt Conrath emerged as an ascending player with star potential. This year, he needs to take the next step forward. Just a sophomore, Conrath is the kind of player you love to watch play defense. He still needs to add strength, but he's an explosive playmaker at the DE position. Starting at the other end spot will be converted nose tackle Nate Collins. Collins is surprisingly athletic and agile, and has all of the requisite strength for his position. I'm excited to see what he can accomplish during his senior season on the d-line. Behind the two starters, the depth is perilously thin. We really need Conrath and Collins to stay healthy this season. Sophomore Zane Parr, redshirt freshman Tory Allen, and true freshman Will Hill are the backups. Of the three, only Parr seems ready to take on significant playing time.

Prediction: Doing his best Chris Long impersonation, Matt Conrath will lead the team in sacks this season.

Position Grade: B-

The starters are B+/A- quality, but the lack of depth really scares me. Let me say this again... We are completely screwed if either Conrath or Collins suffers a serious injury.

Nose Tackle

Al Groh's most decorated defensive tackle recruit ever, sophomore Nick Jenkins is starting to really come into his own at the nose. It's hard to notice, but the 3-4 nose tackle's play is absolutely key to the success of the defense. With a rock like Jenkins in place, the entire defense benefits. As Jenkins continues to improve, the defense will be free to become more and more aggressive with the linebackers. More blitzing out of the 3-4 is always a good thing. Working behind Jenkins is redshirt freshman Buddy Ruff, a player whose forward progress is really exciting the coaching staff. Also, don't forget about explosive interior pass rush specialist John-Kevin Dolce, who finally found a role after bouncing around the ILB, OLB, and DE positions. Dolce (a 6-2, 245 lb. junior), is small for an interior lineman... or for any lineman for that matter. But he's deceptively strong, and has a freakish instinctual understanding of how to use leverage to beat his blocker. He'll be a staple as the interior pass rusher in the nickel and dime defenses.

Prediction: Keep your eyes on #59 when he's in the game. John-Kevin Dolce is one of those guys who just makes plays. He's found a comfort zone as a role player, and this season he should build on the five sacks he totalled in 2008.

Position Grade: A

I love Jenkins as the starter, Ruff looks like a great #2, and Dolce has carved out his niche. This should be a steady, stable, productive group all season long.

Up next: I'll wrap up the lightning round with a look at the secondary... the area that should unequivocally prove to be the biggest strength of the team.