Chandler Morris isn’t back for another run at an ACC title, but UVA Football coach Tony Elliott was able to pivot quickly, landing two former Power 4 starters, Beau Pribula and Eli Holstein, to compete for the QB1 job.
Pribula got the first-team reps in Saturday’s spring game, leading the offense to scores on two of his three drives, though Holstein also directed two scoring drives, including one in a two-minute drill.
Pribula likely has the edge going into summer OTAs, but the important thing to me is, the talent at QB1 and QB2 is at a level that we haven’t seen since the Bryce Perkins/Brennan Armstrong days.
QB room: 2026
- Beau Pribula (Missouri): completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 1,941 yards, 11 TDs and nine INTs, with 434 sack-adjusted yards on the ground – 244 yards on designed runs, 190 yards on scrambles.
- Eli Holstein (Pitt): over two seasons, completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 3,309 yards, 29 TDs and 13 INTs, with 576 sack-adjusted yards on the ground – 198 yards on designed runs, 378 yards on scrambles.
- Cole Geer: a sophomore, Geer was a four-star recruit and the No. 1 quarterback in Massachusetts.
- Ely Hamrick: a freshman, Hamrick was a three-star recruit who threw for 2,457 yards with 30 touchdowns and only five interceptions and rushed for 651 yards and added 16 rushing touchdowns as a senior in 2025.
- Boone Lourd: a junior, Lourd was a three-star recruit who totaled 5,832 career passing yards at Brentwood and 78 TDs and completed 63.8 percent of his passes in high school.
- Jae’Oyn Williams: a freshman, Williams was a three-star recruit at tailback who got reps at QB in the spring.
Needs: Who emerges as the QB3?
Head coach Tony Elliott on Beau Pribula:
“He’s a dynamic athlete that has a lot of confidence extending plays. I thought he did a solid job, too, of sitting in there and trying to trying to find his progression and driving the ball when he needed to. That’s the area where we’re just going to continue to help him evolve and develop. Because we know that he can run, we know that he likes to run, and we know that he’s a dynamic guy that has a ton of confidence in doing it. But I think also, too, in spring practice, he needs to be able to do it a little bit without getting hit. So, you teeter on, OK, how much do you make him sit in there? You don’t want to take away what makes him great, so you got to let him play his game.”
Des Kitchings on Beau Pribula:
“What we really want to evaluate, me particularly, is just his ability in the passing game. What are his strengths? What are his weaknesses? What do we need to cater to? Because, again, yes, we want to run the football, and you got to run the win, but you got to be able to throw to score, right. And there could be opportunities, situations that arise, that we may have, you know clutch situations where we got to move the ball down the field, and so that’s what has been a big part of the evaluation, and kind of what fits him, because, you know, each quarterback’s different, they see things differently, concept-wise.
Tony Elliott on Eli Holstein:
“He’s got a laid-back demeanor around the building, but when he gets out on the practice field, you can see that he’s got some fire to him. He’s got a poise about him that you can tell that he’s got experience as a starter. Him and Beau (Pribula) are both trying to figure out the system, and each one has their own style, but they’re both trying to lead the best that they can. He’s got a nickname, which is good.
“He’s already got a nickname from his teammates, which tells you that he’s fitting in, fitting in well. It’s been pleasant to be around those guys. You never know how those guys are going to come in, but he’s come in very humble, right? Goes to work, loves the weight room, he loves the weight room, and I think that goes a long way with his teammates, when your quarterback loves the weight room. So, he’s been fun to be around.
“He’s got a little bit of a personality too, so you can joke with him a little bit. Can make all the throws. He’s more of a pocket guy, but I did see some instances where he pulled it down and took off, and he can move for a big guy.”
Tony Elliott on the battle for the QB3 spot:
“Cole, he’s right there in the mix with those guys. A little bit tougher for Jae’Oyn and Ely, just because they’re, and Boone, because if you got six of them, it’s hard to rep six of them. But I thought we did a really good job with all those guys of distributing the reps, giving them legitimate opportunity to compete for the job.”
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Chris Graham
