Looking into the depths

For the first time since training camp kicked off the Mike London era at Virginia, fans got a firsthand look at the team’s depth chart.

Glimpses in open practice sessions and comments from the first-year coach in previous weeks tipped off many of the decisions.

Some were not shocking — Marc Verica will start at quarterback, Kris Burd will get the nod at wideout and Cam Johnson is among the starters on the revamped defensive line.

Others were far more telling and some are obviously still up for grabs with the season-opening tilt with Richmond just four days away.

Dontrelle Inman, who has 10 combined catches over the past two seasons, is listed as a starter, while Tim Smith is pegged behind Burd. All three pass-catching options are expected on the field, however, in three-man sets.

Defensive tackle Matt Conrath, a converted defensive end who has started all 22 games that he has appeared in, is likely to start watching from the sidelines as John-Kevin Dolce, a team captain, will start the opener.

And according to the depth chart, it could still be LaRoy Reynolds or Darnell Carter starting at the “Sam” linebacker spot. Aaron Taliaferro and Steve Greer remain in a tight race to start in the middle of the 4-3 defense at “Mike” linebacker.

Senior Trey Womack has been impressive enough to remain in the mix at strong safety with junior Rodney McLeod and senior Raynard Horne could supplant starter Perry Jones as the starting tailback.

Regardless, all eight of the players that were not given a designation as a starter or as reserve are expected to see action against the Spiders at 6 p.m. on Saturday inside Scott Stadium.

Given his success as a redshirt freshman last year, Greer’s slow descent on a starting spot was shocking, but he was injured during spring practice.

Greer has forced the issue to reclaim a starting spot during practice, however.

“Unfortunately, Steve got hurt during spring practice, but as Steve started coming back, you started to see why he played a lot and why he made a lot of tackles, because Steve is a very smart player,” London said. “He’s like the quarterback on offense, for the defense; he calls the fronts and makes the adjustments and a lot of times it affects the secondary and what they are doing.

“You can see over the course of August practices and here up until recently, that, you know, he has an eye for the football, he understands the game, and he puts himself in position to make plays.”

Taliaferro has been solid, as well, but it is among the most intense battles on the two-deep.

“So actually, [Greer’s] made the competition at that position, you know, much more fierce, because now Aaron knows that he’s got to be on his Ps and Qs,” London said. “It’s a good position to be in. I’m quite sure for both of them that no one has anything over one of them and we need both of them to play.”

On the offensive side, Horne received some of the highest praise from London throughout training camp. That continued Monday as London held the first of his weekly press conferences with reporters inside John Paul Jones Arena.

“Raynard has done a great job of doing the things that I’ve asked him to do over the summer,” the coach said. “You know, academically, socially, from a football standpoint, and he’s moved himself and put himself in a position where he warrants the close look. He may be the starter on game day.

“I’m going to put the ball in his hands, obviously on the kick-off returns. He’s done things in practice and in scrimmages that, you know, have made you take a double-take. We are looking for that competitor, that guy, and thankfully for us he showed up here during the summer and during the early part of August.”

In all, the depth chart is dominated by players in the junior class. Among the 46 names listed on offense and defense, 18 are third-year players. While there are 12 sophomores and 10 seniors, there are just four redshirt freshmen and two true freshmen, reserve right tackle Morgan Moses and backup quarterback Michael Rocco.

Ross Metheny, a redshirt freshman, is also listed as a potential top reserve behind Verica under center, but the battle is ongoing, which made things “tricky,” according to London.

Should Verica get injured, his replacement “depends on how the game is going,” London said. “That will be determined as the game goes on. So we are looking for a clear second, but you know, we don’t have it right now. “We have two guys on the same line, and they are going to have to compete, even this week, to find out who will be the first to go in the game.”

Michael Strauss, who enrolled in January, is not in the mix for playing time at the moment at quarterback, but that could change during the team’s bye week that will follow a road game at Southern Cal on Sept. 11 at 10:30 p.m.

Moses, who is listed behind sophomore Oday Aboushi, will not be the only true freshman playing this season.

“I think looking at our depth situation back in the corner position that Rijo Walker will probably play,” London said. “Drequan Hoskey, who came here on a track scholarship, may play in some limited special-teams role.”

With considerable depth at running back, prep All-American Kevin Parks could wind up being red shirted barring a rash of injuries, creating separation in classes at the position.

“Kevin right now is a very, very good,” London said. “He’s going to be a very, very good player here, but I’m excited about the backs that we have to use during the course of the season, with Raynard and Perry, Dominique Wallace, Keith Payne, that you know, they will be able to provide us the type of spark that we need.

“So I have not made a definitive decision about [Parks]. Kevin may even travel with us just to get used to that and just to be with us, but we’ll see how that goes as the season goes along.”

Injury update will wait

For all eight contests this season against ACC opponents, Virginia is mandated by the league to release an injury update.

The policy, which was added prior to the 2008 season, allows the primary sports medicine contact to disclose each Mondays the players that are out for the season or those that are scheduled for surgery.

On Thursday, within 90 minutes following the end of practice, playing status for injured players will be released using the following categories: definitely will play, probable, questionable, doubtful and out.

The policy does not expand to non-conference games, however, and a Virginia spokesperson said the school will not release an update this week.

“We opted not to,” said Jim Daves, Virginia’s assistant athletics director for media relations.

Virginia will not open ACC play until Oct. 2 when Florida State travels to Scott Stadium.

One player deemed himself fit to play — senior cornerback Ras-I Dowling will start.

“I’ll be ready to play Saturday,” said Dowling, who missed a number of practices with cramps in his feet.

Extra points

London is 2-0 in season openers, but no Virginia player has started a campaign with a win. The Cavaliers’ last win in an opener came in 2005 against Western Michigan (31-19). … With a win against his alma mater, London would become the first coach at Virginia to win his opener since 1961, a span that included six former coaches. … The Cavaliers have a 25-2-2 edge in the series with Richmond. The Cavaliers won the most recent contest, beating the London-coached Spiders 16-0 in the second game of the 2008 season.