Saturday kickoff is almost here for Virginia — and game week preparations have been underway for the past few days. The next big nugget of information to arrive is this week's depth chart, which was released to the media Tuesday ahead of Tony Elliott's press conference. Here is the two-deep depth chart for each position, with notes to follow.PositionStarterTop backupQBBeau PribulaEli HolsteinRBJekail MiddlebrookXay Davis, or Xavier Brown or Peyton Lewis or Noah Vaughn WR (X)Rico Flores Jr. or Ty'Lyric ColemanDylan CopeWR (Z)Jacquon GibsonDa'Shawn MartinWR (Slot)Kameron CourtneyJosiah AbdullahTEDakota TwittyConnor Cox or John RogersLTMcKale BoleyBen YorkLGNoah JoseyCole SurberCDrake MetcalfRyan Brubaker or Grayson ReidRGMakilan ThomasDane WlekinskiRTMonroe MillsJon AdairPositionStarterTop backupDEFisher CamacNnanna AnyanwuNTAnthony BrittonSichan JohnDTJason HammondDarrion Henry-YoungDE (BANDIT)Matthew Fobbs-WhiteDevon BaxterLB (WILL)Maddox MarcellusCaleb HardyLB (MIKE)Kam RobinsonLandon DanleyCB (Left)Omillio AgardJam JacksonCB (Right)Jacobie HendersonJustin RossSPURDonovan Platt Jaylen Jones or Corey CostnerFSEthan MinterChristian Ellis or Keke AdamsSSBrandyn HillmanMontino WilliamsPositionStarterTop backupPDaniel SparksElijah SlibeckKWill BettridgeChris MessmoreKOElijah SlibeckWill BettridgeHDaniel SparksElijah SlibeckLSWyatt RubinoffZach ChristinatPRJosiah AbdullahJacquon GibsonKRJacquon GibsonNoah VaughnSome surprisesOn a team overloaded with veteran depth, there are probably more underclassmen on this depth chart that some may expect. There are eight underclassmen listed on the two-deep (or three) on this depth chart. In particular, Williams and Cope appear to have beaten some more experienced teammates in practice, at crowded positions. Further down the depth chart, there are more young players (freshman Jack Rhodes is third on the Z WR list, and sophomore Josiah Persinger is third on the right cornerback list).The biggest example of underclassmen success, though, could be Davis. Among Virginia's elite stable of running backs, the expected pecking order was Middlebrook, Lewis, Brown, Solomon Beebe, Vaughn and then Davis. For this first game, though, Davis was the first name listed in a four-way tie. Perhaps that translates to some healthy snaps in this first game for the now-sophomore.The not-surprisesSome positions are not surprising. Pribula was announced as the starting quarterback several weeks ago, and incumbent veterans like Robinson, Camac, and the whole offensive line were never in any danger of losing their starting spots to new transfers or hungry underclassmen. This starting lineup is full of seniors, graduate players and even a few Cavaliers in their sixth or seventh year of college football.What does this depth chart mean for the rest of the season?Last year's opening depth chart did not see all too many changes over the course of the year. A few backups shifted around, but broadly, the lineup remained intact — that is, until injuries inevitably affected the team.Some of Virginia's sophomores hoping for more snaps (and transfers hoping for opportunities) will still have several chances to make an impact and ascend the depth chart. Fall camp was telling, but game action matters infinitely more. Expect to see many players who were not on the depth chart get some playing time, especially when the Cavaliers likely blow Norfolk State and Delaware out of the water.The 2026 season begins at 3:30 Saturday, with the game being broadcast on ESPN.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow