Virginia Football coach Tony Elliott picked up two more transfers from the portal on Monday – former Clemson tight end Sage Ennis and former Eastern Michigan cornerback Kempton Shine.
Ennis will be a grad transfer after seeing action for four seasons at Clemson, where Elliott was the offensive coordinator through the end of the 2021 season.
The 6’4”, 235-pounder was on the field for a total of 457 offensive snaps over his four years, 173 in the 2023 season.
As a receiver, Ennis had a modest six catches on 10 targets across his four seasons.
Ennis had a Pro Football Focus blocking grade of 61.0 in 2023.
He projects as a blocking tight end, and looks to be packaged alongside another grad-transfer tight end, former Harvard tight end Tyler Neville, who had 24 catches for the Crimson in 2023.
Shine will also be a grad transfer in 2024, after seeing action in four full seasons and four games in his 2019 true freshman season.
Lots of run for Shine – 2,473 career defensive snaps, including a career-high 797 in 2023, in which he achieved a career-best 74.0 PFF grade.
In 2023, Shine had 54 tackles at corner, and in pass coverage, he allowed 31 catches on 55 targets, for 463 yards, five TDs and a 108.4 NFL passer rating against, with five pass breakups.
Shine joins another transfer-portal pickup, Penn cornerback Kendren Smith, as newcomers to the UVA secondary.
Smith, in 2023 at Penn, earned an 85.1 PFF grade, getting on the field for 697 defensive snaps, with 57 tackles, and 23 catches allowed on 43 targets, for 178 yards, with six PBUs and a 63.9 NFL passer rating against.
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Chris Graham
