Who will be the primary backup?
Sage Ennis has moved on and will be playing for Tony Elliott at Virginia this season. Therefore, the expectation is that Josh Sapp will begin spring as the primary backup to Briningstool this season.
Sapp has played well off the bench in his first two seasons with the program. He only had 7 receptions for 60 yards but two of them were for touchdowns. He seems to have excelled at the blocking assignments in Riley’s offense, which is a solid advantage. Briningstool’s specialty is as a receiving target, so Sapp’s abilities complement his well.
There are two more options we might see more of this spring. Olsen Patt-Henry was the one we saw the most in 2023. He saw action in six games as a true freshman and had 3 catches for 42 yards. The other freshman was Markus Dixon, who only saw a few snaps and redshirted.
Both players have a full season in the program under their belts and will get an opportunity in the Spring Game. If either can muster enough production to challenge Sapp, we might see an indication in April when the team takes the field.
Next: Will Christian Bentancur see the field?