Virginia safety Antonio Clary returned to the lineup this season and is playing some of the best football of his career. ~ Photo by Kris Wright/TheSabre.com

After the Virginia football team’s season-opening win, coach Tony Elliott shared how excited safety Antonio Clary had been to get back on the field after injury kept him out in 2023. Through three games, Clary’s presence has gone way beyond enthusiasm though. The senior is arguably playing the best football of his career.

Clary currently leads the Cavaliers with 33 total tackles and he’s one of just four players with double-digit solo tackles so far. Nationally, those 33 tackles rank Clary 10th and his 11.0 average per game ranks 11th. He’s also closing in quickly on his best season at Virginia as he had 56 tackles in 2022. That came in just eight games, but the 7.0 tackles per game average is well off his current pace of 56 tackles by game six.

The Florida native has one of the team’s two forced fumbles this season as well. With two pass breakups, he’s just one off the team lead there behind cornerback Jam Jackson and he’s one of 10 players with a quarterback hurry. The production on those latter two categories has come despite limited chances as Pro Football Focus (PFF) has tagged him with only 11 targets in pass defense and with only four total pass rush snaps.

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