His return to Virginia’s defense will be a welcomed one.
The Cavaliers expect third-year linebacker Kam Robinson to be back in action on Saturday for their ACC opener against Stanford, Hoos coach Tony Elliott said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
Robinson missed the first three games of the campaign after he sustained a fracture in his collarbone during the first week of preseason training camp.
But Robinson underwent surgery and recovery, and returned to practice last week in a non-contact capacity. Then, he participated in warmups this past Saturday before UVa’s blowout win over FCS William & Mary. He will be a full-contact participant in practice this week, according to Elliott.
So, the 6-foot-3, 234-pounder will strengthen the Cavaliers’ first-team defense while deepening their group of linebackers.
He enters his season debut with 135 career tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, three interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Robinson was UVa’s leader in sacks in 2024 and all five of the sacks he had last year came in ACC action, including in victories against Wake Forest, Boston College and Pittsburgh.
Before training camp began, second-year linebackers coach Mike Adams said he learned quickly last fall how much winning matters to Robinson.
“You see it anytime there is competition and any form of competition,” Adams said about Robinson. “He is an extremely competitive individual, and I think the first time I noticed it during a game was early against Louisville last year. He had a couple of tackles where he had the guy lined up right there in the hole and it’s the running back one time, the quarterback next time and although we were playing good defense overall in the first half, I could tell he was extremely down on himself because there were missed opportunities.
“He does hold himself to a really high standard, which is really cool,” Adams continued. “He’s great to coach because I know how much he wants to win and I know how much effort that he’s going to put into it.”
That kind of passion along with Robinson’s proven production should only help the Cavaliers moving forward. In their contest against the Cardinal, they will matchup against running back Micah Ford, who has two 100-yard performances in his first three games.
UVa will host Florida State on Sept. 26 and travel to Louisville on Oct. 4 ahead of its bye week.
Through the first three weeks, Landon Danley has started in Robinson’s place and filled in admirably. He has a team-best 18 tackles.
Veteran James Jackson has played well, too. He’s got 14 tackles and a fumble recovery. He should pair together with Robinson without any issue, considering they’ve played next to each frequently over the last two years.
Greg Madia
gmadia@dailyprogress.com
@GregMadia on X
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Greg Madia
UVa Sports Reporter
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