Classes have started at the University of Virginia and the women’s soccer team got the year going for Virginia athletics last week. The men’s soccer team opens for the other side of the ledger against Iona at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
With the sports year starting to pick up steam, it’s a great time to spotlight some individual Virginia athletes to watch this fall. Last week’s edition was devoted to the women’s teams at UVA. This article highlights a dozen athletes from men’s teams.
The list includes no transfers or freshmen and you know someone from those groups will make an impact this fall too. For now, though, let’s focus on some possibly familiar names or some potential breakthrough candidates for the Wahoos.
12 Virginia Men’s Athletes To Watch This Fall
12. Noah Josey, guard, football team. Of the returning offensive lineman at UVA, Noah Josey took the second most snaps last season with 277. The junior picked up most of his playing time as the season progressed. Josey logged the second highest run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus on the team last year. Just now entering his junior season, Josey could be emerging as a key piece of the puzzle for the Hoos in the season ahead.
11. Aidan Ryan, safety, football team. Another junior on the football roster, Ryan has played no snaps yet in his career. Zero. That’s because injuries ended his 2021 and 2022 seasons early. Ryan seems healthy now, though, and is expected to be part of the rotation in the secondary for UVA. He could be one of the new names on the block this fall that fans remember.
10. Wes Porter, cross country team. Porter posted the second fastest mile in Virginia indoor track history this winter with a 3:56.83 and he took the bronze medal in that event at the ACC Indoor Championships. The junior earned All-ACC honors in cross country with a 20th place showing at the conference title meet.
9. Will Citron, defender, soccer team. Entering his third season at Virginia, Citron has started 24 games the last three seasons for the Hoos. The senior has played more than 2,000 minutes at UVA and helps anchor a defense that allowed just 20 goals last season.
8. Kome Ubogu, forward, soccer team. The junior finished second on the team last season with 6 goals despite coming on as a substitute in all 15 of his appearances. He had the go-ahead goal against Virginia Tech. In 2021, he had 2 more game-winning goals. An easy pick for an ‘all name’ team at Virginia, Ubogu is a lot of fun to watch as well.
7. Sackett Wood Jr., tight end, football team. A senior that has earned a bigger and bigger role for the team year by year, Wood will be one of the most experienced UVA players on offense this fall. With the scheme switch that came with new coaches last season, Wood posted 12 catches for 165 yards and he could be reliable target for new starting QB Tony Muskett in 2023.
6. Yasin Sado, cross country team. A sophomore, Sado has broken the 4:00 barrier in the mile as a Cavalier. Last fall during XC season, he earned All-ACC honors with a 17th place run at the ACC Championships and All-Southeast Region honors with a 22nd finish there.
5. James Jackson, linebacker, football team. If you asked someone to list the top tacklers on the Virginia defense last season, other names might pop up first but Jackson cranked out 60 tackles to rank third on the team last fall. He also had 3 QB hurries. Stepping into a bigger role this season, Jackson is expected to be a key figure in the linebacker corps and he could have a big year ahead.
4. Justin Wachtel, cross country team. The sophomore may be a fast riser on the XC circuit. In high school, he set the 5,000-meter state record in Georgia. In his debut college season last fall, he earned All-ACC honors with a 13th place finish at the league meet and All-Southeast Region honors with a 3rd place run at that event. That helped UVA clinch an automatic bid into the NCAA Championships. If the Hoos are going to return to that meet this season, Wachtel is likely to play a part.
3. Holden Brown, goalkeeper, soccer team. A fixture in goal the last two seasons, the senior has logged 3,477 minutes in a Virginia uniform. He has 150 saves in his career with just a 1.216 goals against average. He had 8 shutouts last season, the 10th best single season in UVA history. Brown earned third-team All-ACC recognition and made the All-ACC Tournament team as well.
2. Leo Afonso, forward, soccer team. Another key part of the Virginia lineup, Afonso joins Citron and Brown as captains this season. The senior has played 3,444 minutes in orange and blue with 39 starts. He has 17 goals and 6 assists in his career. He led the team in goals and points each of the last two seasons. Afonso earned a first-team All-ACC spot last fall.
1. Malachi Fields, receiver, football team. Labeled as a potential sleeper early on by former coach Bronco Mendenhall, new coach Tony Elliott and his staff immediately liked what Fields brought to the table in their 2022 spring practices. Unfortunately, an injury limited him to just one game last fall so he didn’t get to show what he could do in this scheme for long. He did make a touchdown catch in that game, though, which accounted for 1 of the team’s 7 on the season. The junior could be poised for a big splash this season.
