By Jerry Ratcliffe

A huge part of Virginia’s record-breaking season in 2025 was a stingy, nasty defense that buckled down in tight games and in overtimes to deliver 11 wins, including a Gator Bowl victory.

Defensive coordinator John Rudzinski’s defense finished No. 20 in the nation in total defense (309.5 ypg), and third in the ACC behind Louisville and national champion runnerup Miami. The squad also finished No. 22 in scoring defense (19.7 ppg), second in the conference only behind the Hurricanes.

What does Rudzinski do for an encore? A repeat performance would be nice.

Although UVA’s defense lost some key personnel, Coach Rud used the transfer portal to reload, hoping to resemble last year’s group that boasted quality playable depth, one of the keys to the Cavaliers success.

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