WISE - -  UVA Wise opens the 2021 season Saturday when Virginia University-Lynchburg visits Smith Stadium for a 12 p.m. kickoff. The visiting Dragons are under the direction of first-year coach Tim Newman while Dane Damron will begin his sixth season leading the Highland Cavaliers.

Returning for UVA Wise is redshirt sophomore quarterback Lendon Redwine. The signal caller completed 71.4 percent of his passes in the abbreviated spring season while five different Cavaliers hauled in touchdown receptions.
The receiving unit figures to be the strength of the Cavaliers. A year ago, Caleb Martin caught 22 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns. Keishoen Jarrett (16), Markel Harrison (15) and Dorian Goddard (15) all caught at least 15 passes.

The group includes three of seven Cavs named to the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Watch List. Martin, Goddard and Jarrett were joined on the list by two defensive linemen Chavon Fields and Rondre Knowles-Tenner. Middle linebacker Deandre Williams and punter Drew Vermillion round out of the group of UVA Wise players to receive preseason recognition.

First-year defensive coordinator Matthew White has been promoted to the position after serving as a position coach last season. The Montana native has had stops at Montana Tech, Los Angeles Valley, Kentucky Christian and West Hills Community College prior to arriving in Wise. The defensive coordinator plans to stick to a multiple look for the defense with a base 4-2-5 alignment.

Second-year offensive coordinator Zach Lewis is looking to build off a breakout campaign that saw his unit rank 10th nationally in yards per game this spring (470.7 ypg). The bulk of the offense came through the air as UVA Wise averaged 356.7 passing yards per game. The number ranked fifth nationally and included a 485 yard passing performance against perennial SAC power Carson-Newman. That day,  UVA Wise quarterbacks completed 47 passes while not throwing an interception across 73 attempts.

The Cavs' special teams unit will be anchored by Vermillion who is in his third season as the team's punter. Thus far, Vermillion has booted eight punts of 50 yards or longer during his first two seasons while having 16 punts downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

The season opener will be the first of 11 games over 11 consecutive weeks for Damron's squad. Next week, UVA Wise will travel to East Tennessee State University to take on the FCS Buccaneers before opening up SAC play in two weeks at Mars Hill.

Overall, the Cavs will play eight consecutive league games before wrapping up the regular season at home Nov. 13 against Barton College for Senior Day 2021.