Malachi Fields had to spend almost the entirety of the 2022 Virginia football season watching from the sidelines while he rehabbed a foot injury. Going into the 2023 season, expectations are still high for the junior as he prepares for a potential breakout year.

UVA lost its two leading receivers from 2022 in Dontayvion Wicks and Keytaon Thompson, who both hope to be selected in the NFL Draft. This means there is plenty of opportunity for inexperienced guys to step up. The Cavalier coaching staff hopes that Fields can be one of these contributors.

“I got big expectations from Malachi,” Virginia receivers coach Adam Mims said. “I think Malachi is what you want to coach. Physically he’s everything that you want, but even other than that just as a person off the field he’s what you want. He’s consistent, he’s smart, he asks questions, he’s coachable, and he’s a leader. He does everything you want, so my expectations for him are gonna be high and he knows that. He’s somebody that wants to be coached. He doesn’t shy away from hard coaching, which is great. He’s got a lot of ability and he’s not even tapped his ceiling.”

When Fields arrived on Grounds in 2021, there was already plenty of experience at the wide receiver position. That included Wicks, Thompson, Billy Kemp IV (fourth all-time on UVA’s career receptions list with 192), and the late Lavel Davis Jr. Despite this, Fields worked his way on to the field in his first year and appeared in 11 games. By the end of his freshman campaign, Fields had amassed 11 total receptions for 172 yards. This production within the first year gave hope for what could come in the future.

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