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Starting defensive tackle Jason Hammond to miss rest of season

The sophomore’s 2024 campaign is being cut short due to a shoulder injury

<p>Hammond, a key defensive piece for the Cavaliers, will have to wait until 2025 to make an impact.</p>

Hammond, a key defensive piece for the Cavaliers, will have to wait until 2025 to make an impact.

Sophomore defensive tackle Jason Hammond will miss the remainder of Virginia’s 2024 football season with a shoulder injury, he announced Tuesday morning via X. 

Hammond, who started all four games for the Cavaliers this season while recording 11 tackles, suffered the injury in the Cavaliers’ 43-24 win against Coastal Carolina Saturday. The Florida native was an off-season standout, playing well enough to earn a starting spot — he was one of only two sophomores to do so on Virginia’s defense. Hammond will be able to take a medical redshirt this season, which will grant him an extra year of eligibility should he wish to return for a fifth season. 

Virginia will turn to senior defensive tackle Michael Diatta and sophomore defensive tackle Anthony Britton to replace Hammond. Diatta has played 27 games without a start in his four seasons with the Cavaliers. Britton played in four games in 2023 and has played in every game so far this season. 

The Cavaliers have enough depth to absorb Hammond’s loss for the immediate future, but the injury is a blow looking ahead to next season, given how many of Virginia’s defensive linemen are set to graduate. This is the first major injury for a Cavaliers defense that has shown promise early in the season.

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