Kam Robinson is back; full UVA injury report

By Jerry Ratcliffe

He’s b-a-a-c-k!

Virginia’s best defensive player, linebacker Kam Robinson, is expected to be back in action for this Saturday night’s ACC home opener against Stanford.

Robinson, who hasn’t played this season due to a slight fracture to his collarbone in training camp, used last week as a warm-up, returning to practice but with non-contact, and could be ready to go against The Cardinal.

“We wanted him to get used to gameday routine since he’d been out for a couple of weeks and that’s why we allowed him to warm up,” Tony Elliott said at his game-week presser on Tuesday. “He did that. Mekhi Buchanan did that. Kenan Johnson and Antonio Clary, all in anticipation of these guys being available hopefully this week.”

Elliott also said that safety D’Marcus Crosby is dealing with a tooth issue and should be ready for Saturday’s game, while running back Noah Vaughn, who rushed for more than 100 yards in last weekend’s win over William & Mary, appears to be “in a good place.”

“High ankle sprain, so we want to take some more pictures just to be safe, but you’ve got to wait until it’s weight-bearing to be able to take those stress pictures, so that could be a couple of weeks,” Elliott said of Vaughn.

Meanwhile, offensive lineman Wallace Unamba, who was UVA’s right tackle, is realistically out until the bye week (early October) with a knee injury.

“I’d anticipate by the time we get after the Louisville game (Oct. 4) we should be getting Big Wal back,” Elliott said.

Seventh-year safety Antonio Clary “should be turned loose,” Elliott said. “We’re getting several guys back.”

“[Clary’s] mad at me right now because he wants to play and he’s on that will lay it on the line for you,” Elliott added. “He has no regard for his body and he’s willing to go down for the team. I want him to be able to play as much football as possible and I think that he will.

“If I have to be the bad guy and say, ‘Hey, no, we need to take another week,’ then I’m willing to do that because ultimately I want to see him play, and play as much as he possibly can. You don’t want to put him in a situation where five, 10 years from now he’s going to be walking with a permanent limp because he came back too soon.”

Elliott said Clary was turned loose in practice Monday and was able to run full speed with the defensive backs and looked good, but that he still wants to talk between Clary and the medical staff to make sure Clary’s knee is responding well to the volume of practice, and how it responds to game action.

UVA punter Daniel Sparks, who has been dealing with a hip flexor strain, should be able to punt this week, but may not kick off, which applies more stress to his leg.

The whole team is excited about the return of Robinson, a difference-maker on defense.

“I think the film speaks for itself,” Elliott said about what Virginia is getting with the linebacker’s return. “You just go watch him play and he’s a very, very fast, very instinctual, violent guy who can run sideline to sideline. So you get a very dynamic athlete back.”

Virginia nose tackle Jahmeer Carter, who Stanford coach Frank Reich pointed out this week to be the Cavaliers’ best defensive lineman, said he’s anxious to get Robinson back.

“He’s a dynamic player,” Carter said. “He can make a lot of plays. He’s already shown that throughout the years, so it’s going to be a great addition for our defense.”

What else does Robinson bring to the table?

“He’s a motivator,” Carter added.”He always wants to make the play. He’s not afraid to take command, which is important for every defense.”

Even UVA quarterback Chandler Morris commented about Robinson’s return.

“You know when 5’s out there (practicing), so I’m extremely excited to get him out there on Saturday and see what he can do,” Morris said. “I know what he can do, so it’s just going to be fun for everyone to see.”

See the full depth chart below.