Davis Lane Switches to Safety, UVA Quarterback Room Continues to Thin

Rising sophomore Davis Lane is making the move from quarterback to safety this season for the Cavaliers

Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

One of the major storylines of the offseason for the Virginia football program has been the team's quarterback situation. From the transferring out of Brennan Armstrong to the transferring in of Tony Muskett, as well as the recent decision of Jay Woolfolk to leave the program in order to focus on his baseball career, the UVA quarterback room has been in a constant state of fluidity for much of the offseason. 

On Wednesday, another chapter of Virginia's quarterback saga unfolded as head coach Tony Elliott confirmed to the media during the ACC Football Kickoff event in Charlotte that rising sophomore Davis Lane, a former three-star quarterback from Lynchburg, would be transitioning to the defensive side of the ball to play safety. 

READ MORE: UVA Football: Tony Elliott Previews the 2023 Season at ACC Football Kickoff

A tremendous athlete who excelled at Liberty Christian Academy during his high school career as both a dual-threat quarterback and as a track sprinter, Lane's move to the defensive secondary will give him a better opportunity to see the field in his second season at UVA. Lane has good size at 6'1" and the speed to cover serious ground in the open field, attributes that should allow him to be a solid contributor in Virginia's defensive back unit and on special teams. UVA's official roster has already been updated to reflect this change, with Lane changing his number from 14 to 29 as he moves from quarterback to safety. 

Lane had considerable potential as a quarterback, having led Liberty Christian to its first state championship in his senior season, passing for more than 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns while also rushing for over 600 yards and 12 more scores along the way. But after redshirting his first year at Virginia, Lane was still projected to be looking up at a few names on UVA's quarterback depth chart. 

Monmouth transfer Tony Muskett is almost certainly going to be Virginia's starting quarterback this fall, an outcome that became even more likely when Jay Woolfolk made his decision to step away from football. Tony Elliott has yet to formally name Muskett as the starter, implying that there will at least be a battle for the position in fall camp. But considering that Woolfolk was Muskett's top competition for that role and considering that Elliott chose to bring Muskett as one of UVA's three player delegates at the ACC Football Kickoff, it seems a safe bet that Muskett will be Virginia's starter when the season begins in Nashville on September 2nd. 

READ MORE: Tony Muskett, Chico Bennett, and Perris Jones Speak at ACC Football Kickoff

The most significant consequence of moving Davis Lane from quarterback to safety is the thinning depth in the Virginia quarterback room. Muskett is solidly UVA's starter, but if something were to happen to him, there aren't many experienced quarterbacks left on the roster. 

After a dazzling display of creativity and moxie in the spring game, true freshman Anthony Colandrea seems to be the most likely candidate for the backup job. Former walk-on and fifth-year Jared Rayman could be next line, as could rising sophomore Delaney Crawford, another gifted athlete who could find his way onto the field this fall in a capacity other than quarterback. Fellow rising sophomores Grady Brosterhous and Devin Sherwood round out the remaining quarterbacks on UVA's roster. 

Here's a look at Virginia's projected quarterback depth chart for the 2023 season:

1. Tony Muskett
2. Anthony Colandrea
3. Jared Rayman
4. Delaney Crawford
5. Grady Brosterhous
6. Devin Sherwood

We'll get a better idea of the pecking order of Virginia's quarterbacks following fall camp, which begins on Wednesday, August 2nd. 

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