Each preseason, the injury bug strikes locker rooms across the country, and once again, Virginia has no immunity. In Monday’s press conference, Tony Elliott announced that standout linebacker Kam Robinson has a fracture in his collarbone and the timeline “could be a couple games.”
In the grand scheme of things, the ‘Hoos avoided utter disaster, but
it is still not ideal to have likely your top defensive player sidelined to start the season. Robinson managed to play in every game in an injury-riddled 2024, tallying 64 total tackles, five sacks, a fumble forced, an interception, and a pass break up. The hope is that after surgery and some time away from full contact activity, Robinson could play the remainder of the 2025 season relatively healthy.
Virginia’s first four games come against Coastal Carolina, NC State in Raleigh, William & Mary, and Stanford. (Keep in mind that NC State is technically a non-conference contest.) As far as preseason projections are concerned, this is the lightest portion of a schedule that is already considered one of the easiest in the Power Four.
In the meantime, the rest of the main pieces in the linebacker room — James Jackson, Trey McDonald, and Maddox Mercellus — will be tasked with picking up Robinson’s slack. Nobody quite replicates his playmaking ability, but this group should still be considered one of the roster’s strengths. More on that in our linebackers preview coming later this week.
Other key injuries from fall camp include S Antonio Clary, WR Trell Harris, and DT Hunter Osborne. As of now, all three are expected to suit up for the season opener.
