It’s entirely possible that Sanchez will gravitate towards Ames while Bennett prefers Warley. Of course, Bennett’s departure is sufficient evidence to make a transfer decision within this 30-day period. Perhaps unsure of his place in the pecking order, Warley will look for an option where he can learn a new system for a year before playing in ’25-26, a process similar to the old transfer rules. Ames will likely get the keys to the offense, even if he shows some roughness in the Blue/White Offense.

Ames has a lot of potential, but perhaps Bennett thought it would be wise to give Warley leverage as a veteran in the ACC and a tried-and-true defender who knows his role on offense. The Kansas State transfer finished second last season to a ball-heavy guard like Tylor Perry (15.5 ppg), but still started 16 games in America’s best conference and averaged 2.0 APG in 20.1 minutes per game. Moreover, with Warley’s absence, his role will increase even more. Ames has playmaking ability and guile that we haven’t seen from a Virginia quarterback since Ty Jerome. Now there is one LONG There’s a lot of work to be done before he looks like he’s part of one of Virginia’s big three, but it’s nice to have a player with offensive boogie.

It remains to be seen whether Sanchez and the coaching staff view Rohde’s return as positively as Bennett did for much of 23-24. The former starter had played some minutes at point guard the previous season, but he didn’t look comfortable in a major conference and the St. Thomas (MN) didn’t shoot as well as his numbers suggested. Warley’s departure could give Rohde a big boost in a matter of minutes, depending on Ames’ performance. He’s also a 6’2″ guard who can double as a wing and eat up some of the playing time of sophomore TJ Power. A second-year bounce from the taller Rohde would help make up for Warley’s absence.

The third presumed quarterback option — freshman Christian Bliss — didn’t appear ready for serious work in his first year following the red jersey, but the team may have no choice but to give him some luck. Bliss was a part of the Blue/White Offense’s three-point contest and can play as a combo guard due to his height (6’4”), but there wasn’t enough attention around him compared to Warley and Ames. and even Rohde. I think the veteran’s departure is more important to Rohde than Bliss because the ‘Hoos will desperately need some experienced players who have played minutes in the system before. Or if Sanchez goes another direction with his approach, we see more newcomers like Ames leading the way.

I believe Ames will start the season at point guard, while Rohde will slot him in as the first player off the bench. Losing Warley also shows that Virginia may lean heavily on the 6’9″ Power (normally a four) to maintain the ‘Hoos size advantage’ as a taller winger.

With the recent news of Warley’s departure and Mallory’s departure, it looks like the point guard position will be in the hands of Ames and Bliss for the foreseeable future. This season, although already in doubt due to this chain of events, may hold some promise for the emergence of Virginia’s next quarterback. However, Mallory could actually re-commit and feasibly take over the torch passed by Beekman and the committee’s backcourt this season, and it’s not out of the question for Virginia to get a late commitment from a player in the 2025 class.

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