Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | PUNT | YDS | AVG | LONG | IN20 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-8vs NC State | 5 | 227 | 45.4 | 63 | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 59-3vs Norfolk State | 2 | 108 | 54.0 | 61 | 2 | |
| Total | 7 | 335 | 49.7 | 63 | 3 |
#38
Daniel Sparks
Senior punter for Virginia. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′7″ · 226 lb · Gadsden, AL · Gadsden City
Returning to Virginia for 2026
The numbers
47.9
yards per punt · 2026
7 punts · long of 63 · 3 inside the 20
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 5 punts, 45.4 avg, vs NC State
Swing playSwung Wake Forest from 18% to 44% to win.Wake Forest at Virginia · 16-9
Daniel Sparks
Has a leg that can flip the field on one swing. Two head coaches in six seasons, at two different programs. All-ACC in 2025 was the third honor of his career.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
202210 games
- All-ACCsecond
202312 games
- All-ACC
202510 games
- All-ACCsecond
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-ACC · 2ND TEAM
All-ACC 2nd team (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2020–2026
2 coaches2020
Virginia
Coaching transition mid-career: Bronco Mendenhall → Tony Elliott. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2020UL Monroe0-10HC: Matt Viator · Pass-leaning
2022Virginia3-7HC: Tony Elliott · Balanced
2023Virginia3-9HC: Tony Elliott · Run-leaning
2024Virginia5-7HC: Tony Elliott · Balanced
2025Virginia11-3HC: Tony Elliott · Balanced
2026Virginia2-0HC: Tony Elliott · Run-heavy
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Not enough tracked stats yet to summarize this season.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tony Elliott
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 59–3
2 NO · 108 YDS · 54 AVG
Dominant 56-point win at home against Norfolk State.
With B. Pribula — 162 yds · 3 TD · 1 INT · QBR 51.1 · -8 rush yds (2 car) · J. Gibson — 2 rec · 36 yds · 2 TD
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Has a leg that can flip the field on one swing.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Virginia
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Punter · Virginia
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: +9 net (31 in / 22 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Virginia · Last season: 11-3 (AP #20) · Talent rank #53 · 2026 recruiting class #111
DNA match
Player DNA
Cannon
Has a leg that can flip the field on one swing.
P
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Porter Wilson’s 2023 season.
82%match
All-ACC
Matches Porter on
Yards / punt
In-20 rate
Class year
Differs from Porter on
Weight (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Kai Kroeger's graduate season at South Carolina (2024).
79%match
1st-team All-American
Matches Kai on
Class year
In-20 rate
Weight
Differs from Kai on
Height (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Daniel Sparks
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology