Cavaliers Confident Coleman's Time Has Come

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — University of Virginia wide receiver Ty’Lyric Coleman looked at his phone one night last week and saw a text from his position coach. The message was reassuring.

“I just wanted to tell him how proud of him I was,” Adam Mims said, “because he looks like a different young man, and this has been really, really cool to see.”

Born and raised in Danville, Coleman is in his fourth year at UVA, where he’s yet to make an impact in head coach Tony Elliott’s program. He’s played in 14 games and has six career catches, for 62 yards.

His profile has risen this summer. The 6-foot-2, 198-pound Coleman worked regularly with the first- and second-team offenses during training camp and acquitted himself well.

“He’s maximizing his opportunities,” offensive coordinator Des Kitchings said.

“Ty’Lyric’s been great,” quarterback Beau Pribula said. “He's shown a lot of really good flashes, especially [in the] two scrimmages ... I think he's one of the most talented receivers we have, and he’s just working on being consistent.”

If his teammates have encouraged Coleman, so has Elliott.

“One hundred percent,” said Coleman, who lives with defensive end Fisher Camac and tailback Noah Vaughn. “Coach E makes it very evident that he believes in me. He makes sure that I know that all the time.”

A new season starts Saturday for UVA, which hosts ACC rival NC State in a 3:30 p.m. game at Scott Stadium, and Coleman is expected to have a significant role in the offense. This moment has been a long time coming for No. 8.

“It’s every high school kid's dream to play early and make an impact soon,” Coleman said. “But realistically, I just needed to grow, not only on the field, but off the field, just grow my understanding of football completely. I just look forward to helping out the team this year.”

Asked why he’s been more productive this preseason, Coleman said, “I guess I've just been in the system long enough. I’ve got a better understanding about the playbook and understanding the scheme and the defenses, and it's just starting to slow down a little bit for me.”

To have earned a spot in the receiver rotation is “a great feeling,” Coleman said, “but I feel like I'm prepared, because I worked a very, very long time for this, and your confidence is in your preparation.”

That statement speaks to Coleman’s development. Mims, who’s in his fourth year as the Wahoos’ receivers coach, regularly reminds his group that “your confidence comes from your preparation.” In Coleman’s case, it’s clear “each and every day that he's playing with the most confidence he's ever had since he's been here, and it's all because he's prepared for it,” Mims said.

“He's been more vocal in the meeting room. He's been a much better leader. He's taken care of his body. He's given us availability. He's made plays when his number’s called, and because of those things, he's playing with confidence. It’s oozing out of him, and it's been really, really cool to see. Honestly, he's one of the most athletic kids on our team, and there's been so much untapped potential. But I think he's tapping into it now, and you just want to see it come to fruition for the kid.”

The Hoos play football this week.#GoHoos 🔶⚔️🔷 pic.twitter.com/LGwrjdVILY

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) August 24, 2026

Coleman, a media studies major at UVA, wasn’t highly recruited by FBS programs coming out of Dan River High School, where he also competed in basketball and track & field. Most of his interest came from FCS and the Group of Five, Coleman said, and Virginia was his “first big-time” scholarship offer.

“So I just took the opportunity,” he said.

As a junior at Dan River, he intercepted seven passes, and Coleman was initially projected to play safety at UVA. But the Cavaliers’ coaching staff ultimately decided to slot him at wideout, where he had a lot to learn.

“We knew that he was going to be a project,” Mims said. “We knew that he was somebody that still needed some fine-tuning. He was still learning how to play the position. He was still learning how to be a football player. And it took some good, it took some bad that he had to go through, just like with most players. But now, again, you're seeing all of that work, all of those trials and tribulations, kind of come to a head. And he's taking advantage of every opportunity.”

When he arrived at UVA in 2023, Coleman recalled, “I was a very, very raw player. It was a big learning curve, not only the technique, but just the overall speed of the game. I just had to become comfortable with my technique and really hone in on the fundamentals of being a receiver.”

In his first three seasons at Virginia, his fellow receivers included Malik Washington, Malachi Fields, Trell Harris, Cam Ross, Eli Wood and Jahmal Edrine. From those veterans, Coleman said, he learned the importance of mastering “your craft, spending as much time as you can just perfecting the little things, understanding that you're not going to be perfect, being able to see what you're doing wrong and correcting those things and being able to take coaching.”

In 2025, when the Hoos reclaimed the Commonwealth Cup and recorded a program-record 11 wins, Coleman appeared in only four games. (He caught two passes for 29 yards.)

“It was a deep room,” Mims said. “We had a lot of talent [at receiver] last year, and Ty’Lyric had a lot of guys to battle against each and every week, and I think his confidence wasn't where it needed to be. And because of that, it was hard to get him out there when we needed it. But now I think, again, he's seeing the opportunities, he's taking advantage of the opportunities, and I couldn't be more proud of him.”

There’s been considerable turnover in Mims’ group since the end of last season. Harris, Ross, Wood and Edrine are gone, and Kameron Courtney (25 catches for 234 yards in 2025) is the Cavaliers’ top returning receiver.

To such returners as Coleman, Courtney, Josiah Abdullah, Dillon Newton-Short and Isaiah Robinson, Virginia added four transfer wideouts: Rico Flores Jr. (UCLA), Jacquon Gibson (UMass), Da’Shawn Martin (Kent State) and Tyson Davis (Central Michigan).

“The big thing about this room is, we just want to build competitive depth,” Mims said, “and I think that we're coming to that. Early on, I was a little worried, simply just because of the injuries [to several wideouts during camp], but I think all the reps that these guys have been able to get has been beneficial.”

Also competing for playing time at receiver are true freshmen Jack Rhodes and Dylan Cope.

“Jack Rhodes, he just makes plays,” Pribula said. “He's a youngster and he's still trying to handle being new to college and college football and handling the playbook, but I think he can continue to grow into a playmaker and make a difference.”

Rhodes, who’s from Augusta, Ga., stands 6-foot-1, weights 175 pounds and wears jersey No. 26.

“He’s caught my eye multiple, multiple times this camp,” Mims said last Wednesday. “It seems like every day for the last two weeks, he's made a big play. Like every day. The kid doesn't know everything that he's doing right now, but he goes out there and he competes. If the ball is anywhere in his vicinity, he's gonna find a way to come down with it, and those are the kind of kids that you love, that just go out and make plays. He’s been an extremely pleasant surprise, and he's going to find a way on the field this year, for sure.”

Mims smiled. “Just to expound on how many plays that he's made, he's already earned a nickname. All the kids call him Blackjack now, because you can bet your money on him.”

The 6-foot-3, 193-pound Cope, who’s from Trussville, Ala., wears jersey No. 19.

“He’s so polished for his age,” Mims said. “With his route running, his physique, where he is now, I’ve been pleased with him. He’s another one who’s had to take on more load, simply because of [injuries to other wideouts]. He’s stepped up to the opportunities, and he's taking advantage of them. He’s another one that’s going to see the field this year.”

To receive Jeff White’s articles by email, click the appropriate box in this link to subscribe.