Breaking down Virginia’s special teams

Placekicker

Robert Randolph

Sophomore — 5-foot-10, 160 pounds

The skinny: It took a knee injury to former kicker Yannick Reyering for Randolph to get on the field, but the wait was well worth it. The Florida native was perfect on six extra-point attempts and made three of his four tries at field goals. His longest field goal was a 37-yard attempt against North Carolina. With a stronger leg now, Randolph is expected to get the first chance in a game and could assume kickoff duties at some point.

Punter

Jimmy Howell

Sophomore — 6-foot-6, 238 pounds

The skinny: With little competition to push him, Howell was given the job last year as a rookie. He handled the debut well, averaging 39 yards per punt. Virginia coach Al Groh noted that he would like Howell to improve on his accuracy in placing balls in the red zone. Last year, 20 of Howell’s kicks landed inside the 20-yard line.

Kick returners

Javaris Brown

Freshman — 5-foot-11, 175 pounds

The skinny: Electric on the field, Brown has taken countless reps with the first-team unit and could get the first shot as one of the returnees on the unit.

Chris Cook

Senior — 6-foot-2, 210 pounds

The skinny: In an effort to get a game-changing player on the field for additional reps, Cookhas worked out returning kickoffs. How long the move lasts remains to be seen, but a permanent stint would boost his draft value.

Punt returner

Vic Hall

Senior — 5-foot-9, 185 pounds

The skinny: Still listed as a cornerback, Hall is slated to take the first snaps at quarterback. The senior is also the most accomplished player in regards to returning punts. A quarterback returning punts sounds odd, but N.C. State employed the same strategy at times with Russell Wilson last season.