The official roster for the 2024 Virginia football team was updated recently, revealing the jersey numbers for the newcomers to this year’s roster as well as a few notable jersey number changes for some of the team’s returning players.

Perhaps most significantly, quarterback Tony Muskett is changing to #7, most recently worn on offense by Mike Hollins, which allows Muskett’s former #11 to be worn by Kent State wide receiver transfer Trell Harris.

Notre Dame transfer Chris Tyree will wear the #4, worn most recently on offense by Malik Washington during his record-setting season in 2023.

Eastern Michigan defensive back transfer Kempton Shine will wear #29, which is interesting because returning safety Davis Lane Jr. is also still listed as #29, so Virginia currently has two defensive players with the same number.

Some other returning players with new numbers are JR Wilson, Jaden Gibson, Mekhi Buchanan, Titus Ivy, and Donte Hawthorne.

See the full 2024 Virginia football roster here.

Here are the jersey numbers for the transfers who joined the team this offseason:
TE Sage Ennis: 0
WR Andre Greene Jr.: 2
DB Corey Thomas Jr.: 3
DB Kendren Smith: 4
WR Chris Tyree: 4
DB Jam Jackson: 9
WR Trell Harris: 11
QB Gavin Frakes: 13
TE Tyler Neville: 16
DB Kempton Shine: 29
OL Drake Metcalf: 62
OL Ethan Sipe: 74
LS Payton Bunch: 81

Returning players who changed their jersey numbers:
RB Donte Hawthorne: was #25, now #3
WR JR Wilson: was #17, now #6
QB Tony Muskett: was #11, now #7
WR Jaden Gibson: was #18, now #9
DE Mekhi Buchanan: was #38, now #11
WR Titus Ivy: was #87, now #15

Here are the jersey numbers for the incoming freshmen:
LB Myles Brown: 13
QB Boone Lourd: 14
QB Alexander Brady: 18
DB Keke Adams: 21
DB Kevon Gray: 23
WR Triston Ward: 23
S Armstrong Jones: 28
ATH Ethan Minter: 30
TE Henry Omohundro: 30
LB Cayden Cook-Cash: 33
PK Max Prozny: 36
DE Chase Morrison: 46
DT Tyler Simmons: 56
OL Grant Ellinger: 65
OL Alex Reisig: 66
OL Dane Wleklinski: 70
OL Ben York: 72
WR Trevor Ladd: 80
WR Kameron Courtney: 85
DE Jewett Hayes: 85
TE John Rogers: 89
DE Billy Koudelka: 93

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Projecting UVA’s Depth Chart Ahead of Fall Camp

With the offseason fully upon us, it’s time to take a look at the state of the many athletic programs at UVA and hand out some grades.

After a turbulent recent history, here’s how the Virginia Cavaliers volleyball program is shaping up heading into the fall.

Last five years: D

The past five seasons for Virginia volleyball have, to say the least, not been pretty. Off the court, the program dealt with a coaching scandal in the spring of 2021 that saw head coach Aaron Smith and his entire staff relieved of their duties and replaced with former University of Florida associate head coach Shannon Wells.

On the court, the results have been less than stellar. The ‘Hoos have finished below .500 in each of the last five seasons, have a cumulative record of 46-84 (.354 winning percentage), and have finished no better than 11th in the ACC during that span. The 2019-20 season was the last in which UVA had a winning home record, and the ‘Hoos haven’t been able to knock off a ranked opponent in the past five seasons.

After a complete overhaul of the program just three seasons ago, it would be unfair to expect immediate dominance, especially in the always-competitive ACC. But it’s hard to justify a better grade considering just how mightily the ‘Hoos have struggled to remain competitive recently.

Coaching staff: B

Shannon Wells and her staff stepped into an extremely tough situation when they accepted the Virginia job in April of 2021. And while the on-court results haven’t been great so far, Wells has rejuvenated the program’s culture and taken important steps toward creating a winning environment.

By the numbers, the ‘Hoos are 31-54 (.365) overall and 9-45 (.167) in the ACC under the guidance of Wells, who came to Charlottesville after serving under Mary Wise for seven seasons (2014-20) at Florida. While those results aren’t incredibly inspiring, the squad has taken strides in each of Wells’s three seasons, and this fall will be the first in which she has a roster of entirely her own recruits.

There have been some shake-ups amongst the assistants since the new staff’s arrival, but the ‘Hoos will head into the 2024-25 campaign with Travis Magorien coordinating the offense, Sarah Bullock overseeing the recruiting and pin hitters, and Trevor Kennan managing the defense and liberos.

While the ‘Hoos went only 4-14 in the conference this past season, they showed a lot of growth in the non-conference portion of their schedule and managed to complete a season sweep of Virginia Tech. With Wells finally being able to hand-pick her entire roster this season, look for Virginia to take some more significant steps in the right direction.

Current roster: B-

The ‘Hoos are returning ten players from last season’s squad including leading-scorer Abby Tadder, their assists leader Ashley Le, their top two servers: Le and Kate Johnson, and three-year starting outside hitter Brooklyn Borum. With another year to develop under Wells, the returning core has the talent to take a big step forward.

Wells has also brought in seven new faces this offseason. Four rising freshmen — Teegan Hogan, Zoey Dood, Sarah Brodner, and Becca Wright — and three transfers.

Among the transfers, the most impactful addition will likely be rising senior Elayna Duprey from Virginia Tech. Duprey led the Hokies in kills last season with 222 and was fourth on the squad in digs with 121 while registering 12 starts in 26 appearances.

Wells also snagged Kate Dean out of the portal this offseason, an intriguing 6’3 middle blocker from Eastern Illinois. The rising junior racked up 209 kills last season, finished the year with a .329 attack percentage, and was third in blocks (62) on an Eastern Illinois squad that reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001.

This season’s roster is one of the tallest in recent memory, and with a combination of returning potential and incoming talent, should be in line for more tangible success in the fall.

Future recruiting: B

Wells didn’t enroll her first class of freshman until last season when she brought in Lilly Gervase and Meredith Reeg, but the transfer portal has become just as important for future recruiting as high school recruiting, and Wells has shown a knack for bringing in talent each offseason.

Wells signed Alana Walker in 2021, who finished the 2021 regular season second in the nation in blocks per set (1.51), and Gabby Easton in 2022, who led that year’s team in assists. And with Duprey, Dean, and Tennessee transfer Kadynce Booth arriving on grounds this fall, Wells has yet another talented crop of transfers.

From the high school ranks, the ‘Hoos have four intriguing freshman from the class of ’24:

Outside hitters Sarah Brodner (6-foot-5) — the fifth-ranked prospect in the state of Florida — and Becca Wight — who stands at 6’6 and hails from Worthington, Ohio — will add even more height to a towering UVA squad.

Zoey Dood, a 6-foot-2 setter from Grandville, Michigan, was named a 2023 AVCA First Team High School All-American and was twice recognized as an All-State playe. Meanwhile, Teegan Hogan was an All-State Honorable Mention in North Carolina as a defensive specialist.

Down the road, the ‘Hoos already have several commitments in the classes of 2025 and 2026 as Wells continues to put her signature on the program.

The 2024 Opening Ceremony is over, and the 2024 Paris Olympics are here. Most of the athletes with Virginia Tech ties are competing in a swimming event, with the Hokies sending seven swimmees to Paris.

Let’s meet all of the Hokies in the 2024 Paris Olympics:

Neil Gourley competed at Virginia Tech from 2014-2018 as a middle distance runner, where he anchored the men’s distance medley relay, securing a NCAA Championship title. Gourley has been great outside of his career as a Hokie, and in 2023 he placed second at the European Indoor Championships in his signature 1,500 meter race. Gourley is in the position to challenge for a bronze medal, it’s unlikely that he can finish higher than Jakob Ingebrigtsen or Josh Kerr, but if he has a better kick late than Yared Nuguse of the U.S., don’t be shocked if Gourley medals.

Alexander-Walker played at Virginia Tech from 2017-2019, leading the Hokies to a Sweet 16 appearance, and was drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft. Alexander-Walker has a history of playing in international events for Canada. He appeared in the 2016 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship, and led the team to a silver medal. Coming into the 2024 Olympics, the USA men’s basketball team has been tagged as the favorite, but Alexander-Walker could help Canada compete for a silver, and maybe upset the USA’s super team.

Hill, the former Virginia Tech Hokie who graduated in 2017, is competing in her first Olympics at Tokyo. Sami currently plays for the Araski AES in Spain and helped Canada to a fourth-place finish at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2022. Canada’s team is currently fifth in FIBA’s ratings, and is hoping to havea similar finish in the 2024 Olympics. Canada probably will not rival the USA team at the top, but is hoping for a top-five finish, and has an outside chance at a medal.

Miró is a legendary former top swimmer, who is the head coach for the Virginia Tech Swimming & Diving program. Sergio was selected for the ISCA Hall of Fame Class of ’23, and has led the Virginia Tech Swim & Dive team to historic heights. He led the Hokies to a ninth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Championship, the highest in program history. He will be tasked with coaching Anton McKee, who competes in the Men’s 200m Breaststroke, and Snæfríður Jórunnardóttir, who competes in the Women’s 200m Freestyle.

Carles Coll Marti is a Virginia Tech Hokie who first competed for Virginia Tech in the 2020-2021 season. According to Swimcloud, Marti’s 956.95 grade places him as the 10th best college swimmer nationally. Spain’s 4×100 Medley Relay probably won’t compete for a medal, but Marti should compete as a part of it.

Ian Ho is looked at as having an outside chance at a medal, or any placement, but was very valuable to the Hokies when he swam for them. A Blacksburg local, he recalled being chosen to represent Hong Kong as “pretty surreal”. It’s going to be so interesting to see Ho compete at the highest level, and he said in a recent interview with Virginia Tech Athletics, that he would not be there without his coaches at Tech.

Dominguez Calogne is one of three Hokie swimmers who is competing in two or more events at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. At the 2023 US Open, Luis Dominguez Calogne placed 24th overall in the men’s 200 free finals, with a time of 1:51.60. 

Mario Molla Yanes is the only Hokie that will compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics who will appear in three events. Mario Molla Yanes’ 4x100m Freestyle Relay team for Spain, which also includes Luis Dominguez Calogne, has an outside chance at making magic happen at the Olympics. The Spain Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay Team is +10000 at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the event.

Carmen Weiler Sastre is a sophomore at Virginia Tech who placed 10th in the ACC at the 200m backstroke, finishing with a time of 1:55.15. When she qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games, she called it a “dream come true” and thanked her coaches at Virginia Tech. She is a top 100 college swimmer in the USA, according to Swimcloud, and will compete in two events at the Paris Olympics.

Emily Santos is a class of ’24 swimmer, who is comitted to swim at Virginia Tech. Santos’ 748.85 Swimcloud score places her as the ninth best high school swimmer located in Florida. Santos, who was born in 2005, also competed at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. She swam the 100m breaststroke, and finished with a time of 1:12.10, besting Alicia Kok Shun from Mauritius and Kirsten Andrea Fisher-Marsters from Cook Islands.

Incoming freshman at Virginia Tech, Maxine Egner, is set to represent Botswana at the 2024 Olympics. This will be her first ever appearance at the Olympics, and will compete in her 100m Freestyle on July 30th.

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