UVa Football

HEIGHT: 6'0"

WEIGHT: 210

HAND: 9⅝"

ARM: 32⅝"

WINGSPAN: 77"

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POSITIVES

— Versatile coverage defender who has the ability to play at both the two high safety and nickel positions.

— Instinctual in coverage with very good footwork, keeping his leverage and showing a burst out of breaks. Has the ability to get into phase and shows the hands and timing necessary on pass breakups.

— Has a nose for the ball in the run game, coming up quickly and running his feet through tackles.

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NEGATIVES

— Shows some tightness when flipping his hips and can be heavy footed at times in space; leading to him being susceptible against double moves.

— Inconsistent eye discipline in zone coverage. He can get glued in on the quarterback too long and lose track of receivers.

— Has a relatively high amount of missed tackles due to below average angles at times and him constantly reaching for tackles.

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2024 STATISTICS

— 12 Games, 98 Tackles, 8.5 TFL, 2 Sacks, 5 PBU, 1 INT

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NOTES

— Games Started: 33

— 3 Star recruit in the 2021 class, per 247Sports

— 2024: First Team All-ACC

— 2023: First Team All-ACC

— Senior Bowl Invite

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OVERALL

Jonas Sanker is a versatile safety prospect from Virginia who can contribute at multiple levels of the defense. At 6'0" and 210 pounds, Sanker combines good size with a nose for the ball, making him an instinctual coverage player and an effective run defender. With experience as both a two-high safety and nickel defender, his versatility is one of his standout traits as he prepares for the NFL.

Sanker is a high-motor player in the run game who triggers quickly downhill. He has a nose for the ball, often closing ground efficiently and delivering secure tackles when he stays under control. However, his tackling consistency can be a concern, as he occasionally takes poor angles or reaches for tackles, leading to misses. While physical and willing in run support, Sanker will need to refine his approach and improve his ability to maintain leverage, particularly against shiftier ball-carriers.

In coverage, Sanker shows good instincts and footwork, which help him maintain leverage and positioning. His ability to break on the ball and disrupt intermediate and short routes is a significant strength, particularly when he can play downhill or laterally. Sanker's ball skills and timing make him effective in pass breakups, and his hands are reliable when opportunities arise for turnovers. However, some tightness in his hips and heavy-footed transitions in space make him vulnerable against double moves and quick changes of direction. His eye discipline in zone coverage can also be inconsistent, leading to occasional lapses in tracking receivers and maintaining proper positioning.

Jonas Sanker is a versatile depth safety who can excel in sub-packages and contribute early on special teams. His ability to play both deep safety and nickel makes him a valuable chess piece for defensive coordinators, particularly in schemes that prioritize coverage flexibility. While his tackling consistency and occasional lapses in zone discipline will need attention, his instincts, ball skills, and versatility give him a solid floor as a rotational defensive back with the potential to develop into a more consistent contributor.

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GRADE: 6.7 (Potential Role Player — 4th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 149

POSITION RANK: S16

PRO COMPARISON: Nick Scott

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings

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Prospect workout numbers, measurables (40-yard dash, hand size, etc.) and 2024 statistics will be added at a later date.

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. has pled guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and five firearms counts following a Nov. 2022 tragedy in which University of Virginia football players Lavel Davis Jr., D'Sean Perry and Devin Chandler were shot and killed on a bus returning from a class trip.

Jones also shot and injured Cavaliers football player Mike Hollins. Another UVA student was injured in the gunfire.

Per Ben Finley and Denise Lavoie of the Associated Press, the former UVA student will be sentenced following a four-day hearing beginning on Feb. 4 in Albemarle County Circuit Court.

His plea deal may result in five life sentences, per Jason Armesto of The Daily Progress.

Jones arrived in Charlottesville in 2018 after joining the football team but never played in a game. Per Armesto, Jones was cut due to a preexisting ankle injury.

He remained a UVA student. On Nov. 13, 2022, Jones joined a class trip to Washington, D.C. that included the football players. Armesto provided more information, which reads in part:

"According to a statement of facts laid out by the prosecution, his time on the team did not overlap with any of the victims, and the commonwealth found no indication that Jones and the victims knew each other prior to the day of the shooting.

"The trip to D.C. was organized by an African American theater class, of which the five victims were current or former members. A bus was chartered to take them to see a play, 'The Ballad of Emmett Till,' and because there was space on the bus, the professor organizing the trip invited Jones and three others who were taking a seminar with her.

Per Armesto, details from the statement of facts read by the prosecution revealed that Jones appeared "happy and excited" before the football players arrived on the bus. However, he became "irritable" afterward and was quiet and kept to himself for the duration of the trip.

Information also revealed that Jones clearly targeted the football players. Texts from Jones to "an adult mentor" claimed that the football players had been messing with him during the trip, although no evidence was brought forth in the statement of facts suggesting that was the case, per Armesto. Jones also texted the mentor stating "they not getting off this bus."

Per Richard Gard of Virginia Magazine, Jones shot and killed Davis, Perry and Chandler as the bus was pulling up to the Culbreath Road drop-off point on campus. Another student was injured in that gunfire. Hollins initially escaped the bus after gunfire erupted but returned to try and help people still onboard to get off. However, Jones spotted him and shot Hollins in the back before fleeing. Police captured Jones the next morning.

Michael Haggard, an attorney representing three of the victims' families, told Armesto that the hope is for Jones, now 25 years old, to receive a life sentence with extremely limited chances of early release. However, he also expressed confidence that a judge will keep Jones imprisoned for life.

The University of Virginia will pay out a total of $9 million in settlements regarding the shooting that killed three members of the Virginia football team in 2022, the Associated Press reported Friday.

The university will pay $2 million each to the families of D'Sean Perry, Devin Chandler and Lavel Davis Jr., the three students who died in the shooting, according to the AP.

UVA will pay an additional $3 million in total to Mike Hollins and Marlee Morgan, two students who were wounded in the shooting, the AP reported.

Hollins, a Virginia running back, returned to play 11 games during the 2023 season.

The settlement was decided out of court and approved by an Albemarle County judge Friday, the AP reported.

The settlement also received approval from Governor Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares, according to the AP.

The shooting took place on Nov. 13, 2022, on a charter bus that had just returned to Charlottesville after a class field trip.

The incident led to a 12-hour lockdown and the arrest of former student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr.

UVA launched an external investigation into school safety procedures after the fatal shooting. The university's threat assessment team had received a report that Jones potentially possessed a gun prior to the shooting, per UVA Magazine's Richard Gard.

Jones, who is being held at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, faces charges that were upgraded last year from second-degree murder to aggravated murder, per Justin Jouvenal of the Washington Post. He could receive a life sentence if convicted.

Jones' trial is set to begin in January 2025, Hawes Spencer reported for Charlottesville's Daily Progress.

Virginia senior running back Perris Jones remained hospitalized Saturday, two days after he was immobilized and carted off the field after taking a hard hit against Louisville.

According to the school, Jones underwent successful spine surgery on Friday. As of Saturday, Jones was able to briefly walk.

Update on Perris Jones pic.twitter.com/LTOf9pP1Xs

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) November 11, 2023

Louisville safety Cam'ron Kelly spoke with reporters after Thursday's game to discuss what happened when Jones went down, per Eric Crawford of WDRB:

"I guess maybe he lowered his head, or tried to go low, and I went low too and it was a collision. And I guess the ball came out too," Kelly said.

"It happened and I'm just praying for him basically. I said my peace to him while he was on the stretcher and nothing but love for him and wish him a speedy recovery."

Kelly added that he could tell that Jones was seriously hurt immediately.

Jones' 393 rushing yards (on 5.2 YPC) lead the Cavaliers. He's scored two touchdowns and added six catches for 107 yards as well.

The University of Virginia unveiled a memorial at Scott Stadium to honor the three football players who were killed in a shooting last November.

Before their home opener against James Madison on Saturday, the Cavaliers held a pregame ceremony that included a video tribute to Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D'Sean Perry. It concluded with the reveal of their jersey numbers (1, 15 and 41) on a permanent fixture above the end zone.

#UVa unveils a memorial with numbers 1, 15 and 41 inside Scott Stadium. pic.twitter.com/3GS0hirfR0

— Greg Madia (@GregMadia) September 9, 2023

Per Greg Madia of the Daily Progress, the families of all three players led the team on the Wahoo Walk into the stadium and were on the field with Virginia president Jim Ryan, athletic director Carla Williams and coach Tony Elliott during the ceremony.

Davis, Chandler and Perry were killed and two others were wounded in a shooting last November.

One of the wounded victims was running back Mike Hollins. He spent a week in the hospital after being shot in the back before being discharged on Nov. 21.

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., who was a running back on the 2018 team, was arrested and originally charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony.

On Friday, the Associated Press noted a special grand jury in Charlottesville upgraded the charges against Jones and he would serve a mandatory life sentence in prison if convicted.

Davis, Chandler and Perry were all in their junior year at the school. The Cavaliers canceled their final two games of the 2022 season in the aftermath of the shooting.

The man accused of fatally shooting three University of Virginia football players and injuring two others last year is facing new murder charges.

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. is facing 13 new indictments stemming from the November 2022 shooting that killed football players Lavel Davis Jr., D'Sean Perry, and Devin Chandler and injured football player Mike Hollins and student Marlee Morgan, per Ezra Hercyk of ABC 13 News.

Jones, a former Virginia student and member of the football team, allegedly opened fire on a charter bus bringing students back from a field trip to Washington, D.C., and killed Davis, Perry and Chandler.

The charges approved by an Albemarle County special grand jury on September 6 include six indictments for aggravated murder, two indictments for aggravated malicious wounding and five felony indictments for the unlawful use or display of a firearm in committing a felony, according to Hercyk.

If convicted, Jones could face a life sentence. He is facing the most serious murder charges available in Virginia after the state abolished the death penalty in 2021.

Virginia will honor Davis, Perry, Chandler and their families during a pregame ceremony ahead of Saturday's UVA Strong game against James Madison, according to ESPN's Andrea Adelson.

"𝙒𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚." - @ADWilliamsUVA #UVAStrong pic.twitter.com/mwfwjIR6Z1

— Virginia Cavaliers (@VirginiaSports) September 6, 2023

Saturday's game is the first the Cavaliers will play at home since Nov. 12, 2022, one day before the shooting.

Virginia opened the 2023 season last weekend with a road loss to No. 9 Tennessee.

In his first game action since suffering a gunshot wound in November's shooting at the University of Virginia, Cavaliers running back Mike Hollins found the end zone.

Things you love to see:

Mike Hollins touchdowns🧡#UVAStrong | #GoHoos⚔️ pic.twitter.com/I0plQuh1Bo

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) April 15, 2023

Hollins was shot in the back during the attack that killed three of his teammates and injured one other, and he spent a week in the hospital. Virginia canceled its last two games of the season as a result.

Hollins returned to practice on March 14. He rushed for 40 yards and the score in the first half of the spring game. After scoring, he patted the ground, which was painted in honor of his fallen teammates.

He is returning for his fifth year with the team, citing the comfort and support that his coaches and teammates have provided.

"I could have left, I could have transferred, but I think of that as sweeping things under the rug and not handling the situation as best as I could," Hollins told reporters in March. "The best place for me to move forward, not move on but move forward, is in Charlottesville with the people who shared that experience with me."

Hollins has rushed for 540 yards and seven touchdowns in four seasons at Virginia. The Cavaliers went 3-7 last season and finished in sixth place in the ACC Coastal Division.

Virginia running back Mike Hollins has a new perspective returning to football practice after recovering from a gunshot wound in November.

"I have a lot more to play for," Hollins said Tuesday, per Andrea Adelson of ESPN. "So if there is a drop-off, I'll make up for it. It's literally a miracle that I'm here today and just living that out. My mom tells me be a blessing to others. Make someone smile. Make someone's day every day and just spread my blessings, so that's what I try to do."

Hollins was among the five people shot on Nov. 13 on a charter bus, with Virginia football teammates Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D'Sean Perry all killed. UVA student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder.

Hollins was in stable condition shortly after getting shot in the back, with doctors expecting a full recovery. He was discharged from the hospital after a week.

Four months later, the running back returned to practice for the first time.

"Just to watch how he's attacked everything, could easily have made excuses, easily have overthought things, but he's taking it upon himself to respond and show perseverance and be resilient," coach Tony Elliott said.

Hollins said the return to practice is "freeing" for him, although he noted there are emotional barriers to getting back on the field.

"I expected to recover physically," Hollins said. "So it really wasn't on my mind. It was more, 'Man, How am I gonna even make it to practice without calling D'Sean?' It was more mental."

The fifth-year senior totaled 329 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns across nine games last year. He has 540 rushing yards in three active seasons for the Cavaliers, averaging 4.4 yards per carry.

Hollins heads into spring practice as the No. 1 running back on the team's depth chart, as position coach Keith Gaither told Adelson.

Four months after being shot on campus, Virginia running back Mike Hollins returned to practice on Tuesday for the first time.

Head coach Tony Elliott spoke to reporters about having Hollins back with the team:

"Just to watch how he's attacked everything, could easily have made excuses, easily have overthought things, but he's taking it upon himself to respond and show perseverance and be resilient. I think a lot of it is for himself, but the majority of it is for his teammates. There was a time when we didn't know if he'd ever have the chance to play to play football again. I'm just grateful to be on the grass, grateful to have an opportunity to be here at the University of Virginia and lead this program, lead these young men, all the guys that decided to come back and pick up the pieces and turn this tragedy into a triumph."

Elliott also said Hollins was a full participant as the Cavaliers opened spring practice.

The shooting occurred on Nov. 13 on a charter bus that was carrying a group of University of Virginia students who traveled to Washington, D.C. to see a play about Emmett Till.

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a student who was sitting in the back of the bus, opened fire as his classmates were preparing to get off the bus, per authorities and witnesses (h/t Justin Jouvenal and Lisa Grace Lednicer of the Washington Post).

Devin Chandler, D'Sean Perry and Lavel Davis Jr., all members of the Virginia football team, were killed in the shooting. Hollins' mother, Brenda Hollins, told ESPN's Mark Schlabach her son initially fled the bus before going back to try to help others.

"The only thing he remembers is he tried to turn, but he saw him lift the gun," Brenda said about the shooting. "He felt his back get hot and he ran."

Schlabach noted Hollins stopped in the parking garage to hide when a medical student who was also on the bus showed up to help him until emergency personnel arrived.

Fellow UVA student Marlee Morgan also survived after being shot.

Jones has been charged with three felony counts of second-degree murder, two felony counts of malicious wounding, and five felony counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Sydney Shuler of the Daily Progress noted Jones has two preliminary hearings at Albemarle District Court scheduled for March 30.

Hollins will be a fifth-year senior next season. He has appeared in 31 games for the Cavaliers over the past four seasons and was named to the All-ACC Academic Team in 2022.