Training Camp Notebook: QBs shaping playbook; Twitty a hidden gem?

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia’s offense is beginning to come around as the Cavaliers finish up the early portions of August training camp, and quarterback Chandler Morris, along with backup Danny Kaelin are probably 60 percent of the playbook into Tony Elliott’s and Des Kitchings’ system.

The coaches will continue to expand the playbook as training camp progresses, particularly after Saturday’s first scrimmage, which was held at Scott Stadium with lots of Virginia football alumni on hand to watch the Cavaliers.

“In the spring, we roughly, probably go at about 60 percent [of the playbook] of what we’ll actually put in during fall camp, but this year it was more of just ‘this is what we do’ through spring practice,” Elliott said this week. “And then after spring practice, it was more of Kitch (Kitchings) and [Morris] spending more time together, like, ‘OK, what are the things that you like?’ And then going out and adding some of those components to what we do.”

Elliott said that this coming week, the offensive staff will add some more things that Morris and Kaelin like, things that fit their games as UVA continues to build its playbook for the season.

“We were about probably 60 percent and then we get to 100 percent, a good portion of it will be what those guys are comfortable with and maybe some new additions that are not exactly the same, but similar to what we’ve done. But it’s tailor-made for those guys.”

Lots of Wide Receivers

Several receivers have caught Ellliott’s eye early in training camp, and one player who has really stood out is Cam Ross, who transferred in from JMU during the offseason.

Ross is a 5-foot-10, 186-pound wideout from Newark, Del., who is starting his seventh year (no, that’s not a typo) of college football.

Last season at JMU, Ross played in 13 games and started 9, hauling in 37 receptions for 443 yards and 3 touchdowns. He had 7 catches for 107 yards and a score against North Carolina. Ross was also the Dukes’ primary kickoff returner and averaged 28.2 yards per return, including a 94-yarder.

He also played four seasons at UConn before playing at JMU. With the Huskies, Ross played in 28 games, started 16 and posted more than 1,300 receiving yards to go along with 6 touchdowns.

“So every day, Cam Ross shows me a little bit more,” Elliott said. “I’ve been really pleased with his play speed, his ability to absorb the playbook, the ability to be moved around from position to position and not slow down. He’s been fun to watch.”

Jayden Thomas, a fifth-year from Paulding County, Ga., has transformed his body and is 6-2 with a strong 220-pound frame, and continues to get better according to Elliott.

“Of the young guys, Isaiah Robinson, for a guy that was one of the last ones to get here, I mean he has really shown up,” the coach said. “He was coming off hip surgery in the offseason, but, man, he jumped right in there and has done a really good job.”

Robinson is a 6-2, 185-pound first-year from Trinity Episcopal School in Chester.

Another player who was injured in camp last year, TyLyric Coleman (third year from Dan River High in Danville), is picking up from where he left off.

“I wouldn’t say we forgot about him, but we just hadn’t seen him in a while,” Elliott said of Coleman. “I think he brings some length (6-2, 194) and some explosiveness to the group that can help us.”

Twitty a hidden gem?

Elliott believes that fourth-year tight end Dakota Twitty, formerly a wide receiver (and still has wide receiver capabilities) has a very high ceiling and if he develops, could be playing football for a long time.

Twitty (6-5, 245), from the Charlotte suburbs, got off to a rough start in his career due to nagging injuries, but is really a big key in how Virginia’s offense works this season.

“We feel like Dakota can be a dynamic player for us,” Elliott said. “He can play all over within our scheme.”

That means Twitty can not only line up at tight end, but can play any of the three receiver spots in the offense, which is a huge advantage.

“We’ve got a lot of flexibility,” Elliott explained. “We can put him at any of the four receiver positions and he can go execute.”

One of the issues holding Twitty back is his ability to block as a tight end. Having been a wide receiver, he was trained to block smaller defenders on the perimeter. Now, as a tight end, he may be required to block defenders who are 15 to 20 pounds bigger than him, no easy task.

“There’s some growth that has to happen there,” Elliott said. “But we’ve been pleased with the steps that he’s making. He’s one of the guys that I’ve probably challenged the most so far in camp because I think he has a really high upside. He’s not close to his ceiling yet and we’re going to need him to really be the glue that holds everything together.”

Elliott explained that in today’s football, tight end truly is that glue position, so an offense can go from a 10 personnel with four wides to a two-back set, or have the flexibility to release backs into the “rock combinations” and have a heavy protector in blitz situations.

“We believe that he’s one of the top players on the team athletically and if he continues to progress and pushes himself to take that next step, I think the guy can play football for a long time,” Elliott said. “That’s just how talented he is, but it’s going to be the maturation in the blocking aspect of it for the run game and from the protection standpoint.”

Who is No. 69?

Most fans never pay much attention to a team’s long snapper unless there’s a problem.

So, in that case, grad student Bryce Robinson (No. 69) could go the entire season without getting noticed, except for the people who hand out the nation’s best long snapper award, of which Robinson is on the watch list.

He is in his fifth year of football, having played at Kennesaw State last season (started 12 games), then previously played three seasons at Valdosta State and started 22 consecutive games as long snapper in 2022 and 2023.

Elliott felt like it was a priority to bring in a quality long snapper and found Robinson in January.

“He has really transformed his body,” Elliott said. “In all fairness to him, he was coming maybe from a situation where he did not quite have as many of the resources from a strength-and-conditioning program and from a nutrition standpoint.”

Elliott reported that Robinson’s snap times are “really, really good,” and that he gets down the field (he made some tackles after snapping at Kennesaw, and even forced a fumbled return). “Gets down the field better than you would think for a guy as big as he is (6-7, 265). You can see a chemistry developing between him and Sparky (punter Daniel Sparks).”