J’Mari Taylor’s five best plays as a Virginia Cavalier

J’Mari Taylor ran himself into Virginia football history in 2025. Originally a walk-on at North Carolina Central prior to arriving in Charlottesville, Taylor became one of the driving forces behind the ‘Hoos reaching the 11-win mark for the first time in program history. Taylor rushed for 1,062 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns for an average of almost five yards per carry, adding 253 yards and a touchdown through the air in a dominant year for Virginia.

Throughout the entire 2025 season, Taylor showed up when the Cavaliers needed him the most and this season would have looked remarkably different without his contributions.

In 2025, 5 plays (along with 2 honorable mentions) stuck out to me as the defining moments of Taylor’s incredible 2025 season.

Honorable Mention: Virginia Tech

This would not be a list of Taylor’s best plays at Virginia if I did not include a direct snap. The gadget play used sparingly in most offenses became Virginia’s go-to call when the ‘Hoos needed a first down or touchdown in a big moment.

Taylor scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime to defeat both Louisville and North Carolina with the direct snap, however his second direct snap touchdown against Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University takes the cake.

With a spot in the ACC Championship and a long-overdue victory in the Commonwealth Clash on the line, offensive coordinator Des Kitchings called one of the most aggressive games of his career. This aggressiveness included the ultimate change of pace: having Taylor pull up short of the line of scrimmage and throwing the ball to tight end Sage Ennis. The Hokies, expecting Virginia to run the ball, bit hard on the run fake and left Ennis all by himself in the back of the endzone. Scott Stadium erupted in pure joy and relief after Taylor’s pinpoint pass to Ennis connected for six and firmly shifted the momentum of the game completely to the ‘Hoos.

Taylor’s passing touchdown put Virginia up 14-0 heading into halftime and Virginia would roll to their first Commonwealth Clash victory since 2019, clinching an ACC championship game appearance in the process. In a rivalry recently characterized by bad luck (and questionable trick play calls) for the ‘Hoos, this play signaled to the 4th Side that this year would be different.

Honorable Mention: Wake Forest

In an ultimately frustrating game against Wake Forest that saw Chandler Morris injured early, Taylor gave Virginia a real chance to win the game with a heroic run, putting Virginia in Wake Forest territory late in the 4th quarter. Taylor broke 3 tackles and left 3 more Demon Deacons grasping at air. In a game where the UVA offense was limited through the air, Taylor’s explosive run gave Virginia every possible chance to tie or potentially take the lead with a score after this run.

Taylor’s toughness, elusiveness between the tackles, and breakaway speed were on full display on this run that left multiple Wake Forest defenders in the dust. Had Virginia come out on top in this game, this rush by Taylor would have been widely viewed as one of the most impactful of the season, vaulting the Hoos to 9-1. Although the result did not go Virginia’s way at the very end, this was one of the most clutch plays of the 2025 season.

#5 California

Speaking of Taylor’s elusiveness between the tackles, this run set the tone for the Cavaliers in a critical victory at Cal-Berkeley. The offensive line deserves their flowers for their excellent blocking on this play, specifically center Brady Wilson, who climbed to the second level to block All-ACC linebacker No. 0 Cade Uluave.

Virginia’s zone heavy scheme relies on not just the blocking by the offensive line, but the ability of the running back to read the blocks and hit the open hole. If you watch Taylor’s head, he starts looking outside and in a fraction of a second snaps his head inside to scan the next gap and hits the hole for a breakaway touchdown. Not only can J’Mari read blocks well, he has the acceleration and breakaway speed to make a defense pay for leaving a gap open. Taylor’s quick burst rapidly transforms a good pursuit angle by a defender into one that leaves them watching Taylor run into the endzone unopposed.

A rare combination of excellent vision and breakaway speed makes Taylor an elite running back, both of which were on full display on this play.

#4 Duke (ACC Championship)

Taylor’s skill as a pass catcher was one of his most underrated qualities in 2025, often turning Chandler Morris’ check-downs into first downs and points on the board. Against Duke in the ACC Championship, Taylor takes a designed rollout from Morris, eludes one Duke defender, and takes on almost half the Duke defense to reach pay dirt.

This play should have ended at multiple points before Taylor reached the end zone, but few players are able to create something out of what looks like nothing like J’Mari.

Although ultimately a loss for the Cavaliers, the 2025 team’s toughness and resilience was on full display in the ACC Championship, with Taylor as a standard bearer for the new era of Virginia Cavalier football.

#3 NC State

The North Carolina State game saw two Taylor explosive touchdown runs, and although Taylor’s second touchdown run went for more yardage and came arguably a more important point of the game (in the second half to take the lead), Taylor’s first quarter touchdown is just awesome. Breaking 3 tackles and turning on the jets to draw first blood against the Wolfpack.

Power between the tackles and the speed to outrun defensive backs are typically mutually exclusive traits, with most teams having a power back and a receiving back. Virginia, however, had both in one player with Taylor.

As a former offensive lineman, I can speak personally to how special a running back like Taylor can be for a football team. In a zone scheme, offensive lineman have a gap to block rather than a specific person, which can result in the same zone play looking very different each time. Taylor is able to make his offensive line right by running in the gaps that their blocks open up rather than only being able to run in one predetermined gap.

Despite the loss against North Carolina State, this game was a coming out party for Taylor, and he was a critical part of the Wahoos’ rebound after this loss.

#2 Duke (Regular Season)

Virginia’s first matchup against Duke saw a brief intermission in the 3rd quarter to hold a track meet between Taylor and the Duke defense. Taylor won in simply dominant fashion. This 78 yard touchdown run extended Virginia’s lead to 31-3 and proved a critical rebound performance after a tough loss to Wake Forest.

The cut inside Taylor makes is significantly harder to accomplish at a full sprint than it appears, requiring not only great agility and athleticism, but the vision to see running lanes down the field before they fully appear. Major props to big men like guard Noah Josey and tight ends John Rogers and Sage Ennis, who were able to block off ideal pursuit angles from Duke’s defenders by absolutely hauling down the field to help secure a huge play for the ‘Hoos.

#1 Florida State

Not only was this an incredible touchdown run by Taylor, it might be the single most consequential touchdown of the entire 2025 season. Virginia took an early 14-0 lead over Florida State and appeared to be cruising against the Seminoles, then Florida State went on a 21-0 run to take the lead. Florida State had firmly seized momentum, capitalizing on two Virginia turnovers in the second quarter with touchdowns.

With mere minutes left in the first half, the importance of stopping the bleeding and going to the locker room with at least some momentum cannot be understated.

With 56 seconds left in the half, Taylor seized momentum back with a thunderous 26 yard touchdown run that encapsulates everything that Taylor brought to UVA. Taylor reads the blocks and found himself one on one with Florida State’s last line of defense, safety Earl Little Jr, who was sprinting down to meet Taylor in the hole. The ensuing collision between Taylor and Little sounded more like bighorn sheep hitting each other than two football players, easily the loudest crack of pads the entire season. Not only was Taylor the victor in this hellacious collision, he managed to maintain his balance, breakout of the mess of bodies, and run the final 20 yards untouched for a massive touchdown before halftime.

This play is my number one not simply because of its impact on the game, but the manner in which it was scored. Florida State was favored and had recently beaten perennial power Alabama a month prior on the scoreboard and from a physicality standpoint.

Virginia proved themselves to be the better and more physical team that night, and Taylor being able to shake off an incredibly physical attempted tackle and run into the end zone gave the team and the 4th Side the belief and confidence that the V-Sabre being in the top 15 is not a fluke but the product of hard work and great football in Charlottesville.

Taylor’s touchdown run was critical to Virginia securing a top-10 win and served as Virginia’s coming out party to the college football world, who would soon become familiar with the incredible season that Taylor had in orange and blue.

What was your favorite J’Mari Taylor play from his season in Charlottesville? Comment down below!