The Virginia Cavaliers erupted for 48 points (the most of any game in the Tony Elliott era) and 454 total yards of offense in Saturday evening’s season-opening blowout of Coastal Carolina to kick off the 2025 season on a major high note.
North Texas transfer quarterback Chandler Morris steered the ship with success in his UVA debut — and seems to have avoided a significant injury — finishing the night with 294 passing yards and an additional 50 yards on the ground. But it was another transfer portal
addition, wide receiver and return man Cam Ross, who was the clear MVP for the ’Hoos on Saturday night.
Ross, who hit the portal this offseason after spending his 2024 season at James Madison, finished with seven receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown while impressing on special teams with a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown in the third quarter.
It’s little surprise that Ross quickly proved himself to be a difference-maker for the ’Hoos after generating a ton of buzz in camp this summer, impressing with his elite speed and work ethic.
“A couple days into practice,” Elliott said in his postgame press conference Saturday, “you saw that he’s a football player. He’s got really good football instincts [and] a great skill set as a receiver. Based on what [we] saw on film from JMU last year, and then the validation [in practice], [we knew] he would be able to make some plays for us. So, I’m just super excited for him.”
The 5-foot-10 Newark, Delaware, native got his night started with a snag along the sideline that turned into a 46-yard catch and run in the final seconds of the first quarter. Ross cut back across the middle of the field, making multiple Coastal Carolina defenders miss and showing off his blazing speed to jet past the Chanticleers’ secondary before getting dragged down at the one-yard line.
Later in the first half, Ross found pay dirt after Morris hit him in stride on a post route over the middle, allowing the former JMU speedster to go untouched into the end zone.
Ross’s head-turning speed was the talk of camp, but his ability to run the whole route tree from both the slot and when lined up out wide stood out against the Chanticleers and drew an eye-opening postgame comparison from Elliott.
“He’s a guy that just came in and worked, and maybe some of the other guys might have been more talked about in terms of their transition coming in the door, but he’s just a workman,” Elliott said. “He reminds me a lot of Malik [Washington], and I said that before. They’re different, and he’s got a long way to go, obviously, because Malik did some exceptional things here, but he’s kind of cut from the same cloth.”
While no one expects Ross to replicate Malik Washington’s record-breaking 2023 season in which he set the Virginia program record for receptions (110) and receiving yards (1,426), for Elliott to compare him to the now Miami Dolphin speaks volumes about what we can expect from Ross.
And like Washington in 2023, Ross provides a spark for the ’Hoos not only as a receiver but as a return ace on special teams. Ross’s 100-yard kickoff return touchdown in the third quarter was a school record and made him the first FBS player since 2020 to have 120 yards receiving and return a kick for a touchdown in the same game.
It’s been a long journey for Ross to find himself on the verge of a breakout season in Charlottesville. Then at UConn, Ross had a standout freshman campaign in 2019, finishing the season with 723 yards and four touchdowns. But injuries cut his seasons short in both 2021 and 2022, and he left the Huskies having started just 16 games over four seasons.
With the Dukes last fall, Ross finally hit his groove once again at the collegiate level. He made nine starts at receiver and dazzled in the return game, averaging 28.2 yards per kickoff return and earning himself Third Team All-Sun Belt honors as a return specialist.
Now with Virginia, Ross has found the perfect place to shine as he nears the end of his collegiate career.
“Since the second I stepped foot in the building, it was just nothing but open arms and a welcoming demeanor,” Ross said postgame Saturday. “Everybody’s great, from the top down. I can’t even express it enough, honestly. I feel like it goes into your performance. They make you feel good about yourself. They make you want to go out there and fight for them, fight for this program, fight for this university. I can’t say enough about the people here.”
Ross was at the forefront of a retooled receiving group on Saturday evening that now looks like a clear strength for the ’Hoos. Big-bodied Purdue transfer Jahmal Edrine immediately showed why he should be considered an elite red-zone threat with a two-yard touchdown catch. And senior Trell Harris — who’s back after missing Virginia’s final eight games last season — got his campaign off to a stellar start as well, finishing with three grabs for 93 yards, including a highlight-reel one-handed snag late in the first half.
UVA’s red-hot offense will look to keep the early-season momentum going on the road this Saturday against NC State. The Wolfpack struggled a bit in their opener against East Carolina despite the 24-17 win, but they should be a great measuring stick for Ross and the Cavaliers as their first in-conference competition of 2025.
