Virginia
Virginia Football: Five Impactful Newcomers to Watch This Season
The Virginia Cavaliers officially started fall camp on Wednesday of last week. Looking ahead to UVA’s season opener against Richmond on August 31st, the Hoos return most of their starters from last year’s team. However, there are definitely some new names to know, so let’s take a look at some of the new faces to watch for this year.
WR Chris Tyree
UVA head coach Tony Elliott’s biggest win in the transfer portal was the addition of wide receiver Chris Tyree. A five-foot-ten graduate transfer from Notre Dame and Virginia native, Tyree’s speed and playmaking ability should immediately impact Virginia’s offense from the slot. Last season, Tyree recorded 26 receptions for 484 yards and three receiving touchdowns for an Irish football team that finished with a 10-3 overall record.
Earlier this week in fall camp, Tyree was in a boot with an apparent foot injury, however the injury does not appear to be long-term. Reports from Thursday indicate that Tyree still isn’t practicing, but the good news is that he’s out of the boot. With Malik Washington gone to the NFL, Virginia has big shoes to fill at wide receiver, and Tyree should be able to help fill that void in Des Kitchings’ offense this season.
S Corey Thomas Jr.
Potentially one of the stars of UVA defensive coordinator John Rudzinski’s defense, Corey Thomas Jr. comes to Virginia after a productive 40-game career at Akron. Thomas, a graduate transfer, brings in versatility for a Virginia defense that could use him in a number of different ways in 2024. With a six-foot-four frame at 215 pounds, Thomas will likely spend most of his time at the nickel, but he could see some playing time at linebacker as well. Throughout the offseason, the coaching staff has been very high on Thomas, even comparing him to former Clemson star and 2020 first round NFL draft pick Isaiah Simmons. A true jack-of-all-trades, Thomas’ size and versatility should help Virginia’s defense improve this season.
WR Andre Greene Jr.
A local wide receiver from St. Christopher’s School in Richmond, Greene Jr. transferred back home to Virginia after spending two seasons at North Carolina. Despite only recording five receptions for 43 yards and one touchdown for the Tar Heels in two years, Greene expects to immediately factor into Virginia’s passing attack. Rated as a four-star prospect coming out of high school, Greene turned in a nice performance at the annual Blue-White Game in April. To go along with returning star Malachi Fields and fellow transfer Chris Tyree, Virginia’s passing game should be in good hands this season regardless of who is playing quarterback.
OL Ethan Sipe
A glaring weakness of Virginia football in the Tony Elliott era has been the offensive line. Allowing the second most sacks per game in the ACC last season, Elliott and offensive line coach Terry Heffernan looked to improve the offensive line this offseason with the addition of Ethan Sipe. Sipe, a transfer from Dartmouth with two years of eligibility remaining, likely will receive some playing time at guard, but he’s also been practicing at center as well. Sipe played right tackle at Dartmouth, but his versatility should allow him to serve as depth for a unit that has been plagued by injury over the last couple of years.
READ MORE: Virginia Football Projected Depth Chart 2.0: Fall Camp Week 1 Update
TE Tyler Neville
Virginia hit the transfer portal hard in the offseason for pass catchers, and the Cavaliers got another one with the addition of Neville. An All-Ivy League selection in 2022 and 2023 at Harvard, Neville was one of the most productive tight ends in the conference over the past couple of seasons. With Sackett Wood returning at TE, the Hoos should have a couple of nice options in the passing game at the TE position for Anthony Colandrea or Tony Muskett.
DB Kendren Smith
A two-time All-Ivy League selection at Penn, Smith’s presence should immediately bolster UVA’s secondary. Smith, a graduate transfer, expects to compete for one of the starting positions at corner and is one of a couple transfers that Virginia brought this offseason into the secondary.
CB Kempton Shine
Shine, another graduate transfer in the secondary, had a productive career for Eastern Michigan, starting in 40 of 45 career games. Last year, he finished with nine passes defended and should factor into UVA’s secondary.
LB Dorian Jones
Dorian Jones arrives at UVA after spending last season at Cincinnati. Jones had a career year last season for the Bearcats and could receive some playing time at the MIKE linebacker position with Stevie Bracey out for the year.
WR Kameron Courtney
Courtney, an incoming three-star freshman from Manassas, has impressed the coaching staff so far in fall camp. He may receive some playing time this season at the slot and could also play a role on the special teams unit.
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CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia has plenty of state symbols, be it the black bear as the state animal, the cardinal as the state bird or the rhododendron as the state flower, but did you know that the Mountain State also has its own official gun?
The Hall Flintlock Model 1819 was first manufactured in Harpers Ferry by John H. Hall in 1811 and was adopted by the United States Army in 1819, making it the first breech-loading rifle ever adopted by a country’s military.
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Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution -
Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution
All of this information is listed in Senate Concurrent Resolution 7, which was introduced and passed during the 2013 West Virginia Legislative session, and officially recognizes the Model 1819 as the official firearm of the State of West Virginia.
On top of being created in West Virginia, the resolution also points out that the rifle saw use during the Civil War, an event that directly led to West Virginia’s statehood.
While having an officially recognized state firearm may seem far-fetched, West Virginia is not the only state that has one. As a matter of fact, a fifth of the states in the country have officially designated a state firearm, including West Virginia’s neighbors in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
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