Many Virginia fans wanted to see the football program’s depth chart after spring practices wrapped up last month. Actually, let’s be more specific and cut to the chase a bit. Many Virginia fans wanted to see the quarterback depth chart after spring practices.

After all, uneven quarterback play and a rotating cast of characters at the position – some with cameos, some with long-running featured spots, and some who left for other roles – has been a storyline in the UVa football program for not only Mike London’s entire tenure, but for the better part of the last decade. Last season’s incumbent David Watford entered the spring in an open competition with Greyson Lambert and Matt Johns after Watford produced 8 touchdowns and 15 interceptions along with 2,202 passing yards on 57.1% passing (244 of 427) last fall. An accurate perception or not, some fans view Watford as London’s chosen one at quarterback after he slid Watford into early playing time as a true freshman in 2011 and then stood by him through the majority of last season’s inconsistent performances after shuffling quarterbacks for the two previous seasons.

So fans wanted to see where the QB pecking order stood after the spring practices. Lambert had earned some snaps and played well late last season before a tough outing against Virginia Tech. Then Lambert, a redshirt sophomore, clearly out-performed Watford in the Spring Game while also being named just one of four team captains with three seniors. Lambert completed 18 of 31 passes for 220 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions in the Spring Game. He hit 33 of 75 passes for 340 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions in seven appearances last fall. Simply put, Lambert appears to have a higher potential ceiling than Watford at quarterback.

Would all of that push Lambert to the top of the depth chart? Even though there are many questions to be answered about Virginia football beyond that one position, for some fans, that decision seemed like the only thing that could spark a bit of hope for 2014 and rekindle a bit of trust in Coach London.

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