The money people are helping UVA Football coach Tony Elliott have a banger of a transfer portal season.
Rivals ranks the UVA transfer class 25th nationally and third in the ACC, and 247Sports has the UVA class ranked 37th nationally and sixth in the ACC.
The improvement from the 2024 transfer season – Rivals had Virginia 61st nationally and 10th in the ACC; 247Sports had Virginia at 55th nationally and 11th in the ACC – is a reflection of the commitment from the money folks to give the program more in the way of resources.
An anonymous donor – seriously, I don’t even know who this guy is, and I know who everybody is – committed $100 million over 10 years earlier this month to go toward NIL and scholarships for UVA Football.
That commitment, coupled with what Virginia was already doing with NIL, puts the program near the top of the ACC.
Starting at the top: QBs
We’re seeing the flush of money with the quality of talent that Elliott has been able to get to commit for the 2025 season at QB, with Chandler Morris (North Texas) and Danny Kaelin (Nebraska) both reportedly seven-figure gets.
Morris, a sixth-year senior, figures to be the QB1 in 2025, after passing for 3,771 yards and 31 TDs at North Texas in 2024.
Kaelin, a former Elite 11 Finals participant, slots as a developmental quarterback, with four years of eligibility.
Gets/Pressing needs
Offensive line
Nice get here:
- Brady Wilson, a three-year starter at center at UAB, where his stats tell us, no sacks allowed in 2024 on 542 pass-block snaps, and over the course of three years and 2,304 total snaps, and 1,265 pass dropbacks, he’s allowed a grand total of one.
Virginia is losing:
- Ty Furnish (RG): 504 snaps, four sacks/20 QB pressures allowed, 59.7 PFF grade (transfer portal/still uncommitted).
- Ugonna Nnanna (RG/LG): 455 snaps, two sacks/12 QB pressures allowed, 55.7 PFF grade (transfer portal: North Texas).
- Charlie Patterson (LG/RG): 59 snaps, two sacks/six QB pressures allowed, 53.4 PFF grade (transfer portal/still uncommitted).
- Brian Stevens (C): 782 snaps, two sacks/11 QB pressures allowed, 71.2 PFF grade (graduation/end of eligibility).
Returning:
- Redshirt junior Noah Josey (LG): 777 snaps, two sacks/15 QB pressures allowed, 66.8 PFF grade.
- Sophomore Blake Steen (RT): 736 snaps, two sacks/28 QB pressures allowed, 66.1 PFF grade.
- Redshirt junior Jack Witmer (LT/RT): 476 snaps, five sacks/21 QB pressures allowed, 57.7 PFF grade.
- Junior McKale Boley (LT): 469 snaps, six sacks/20 QB pressures allowed, 60.4 PFF grade
Two other guys of note: Drake Metcalf and Ethan Sipe both missed the 2024 season with injuries.
Metcalf has primarily played at center in his three college seasons, logging 200 snaps at center at Central Florida in 2023 – allowing one sack and two total QB pressures on 90 pass dropbacks, with a 63.0 PFF grade.
Sipe logged 672 snaps at right tackle at Dartmouth over the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and allowed just three sacks on 282 pass dropbacks, with a PFF grade of 69.6 in 2023.
Defensive line
Three nice gets here:
- Hunter Osborne (Alabama) was a Top 300 player nationally in the Class of 2023, whose offers out of high school included Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Clemson, Miami, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Auburn.
- Jacob Holmes (Fresno State): 416 snaps, 28 QB pressures, four sacks, 70.4 PFF grade.
- Cazeem Moore (Elon): 540 snaps, 38 QB pressures, six sacks, 76.7 PFF grade.
Virginia is losing:
- Chico Bennett: 604 snaps, 29 QB pressures, two sacks, 68.1 PFF grade (graduation/end of eligibility).
- Kam Butler: 692 snaps, 43 QB pressures, two sacks, 73.1 PFF grade (graduation/end of eligibility).
- Bryce Carter: 35 snaps, one QB pressure, 56.4 PFF grade (transfer portal/still uncommitted).
- Jahmeer Carter: 581 snaps, 12 QB pressures, one sack, 63.0 PFF grade (graduation/end of eligibility).
- Michael Diatta: 311 snaps, one sack/five QB pressures, 62.4 PFF grade (transfer portal/Oklahoma State.
- Ben Smiley: 235 snaps, 12 QB pressures, one sack, 53.3 PFF grade (transfer portal/still uncommitted).
Returning:
- Anthony Britton: 446 snaps, 10 QB pressures, two sacks, 56.7 PFF grade.
- Terrell Jones: 282 snaps, nine QB pressures, 57.3 PFF grade.
- Jason Hammond: 141 snaps, two QB pressures, one sack, 59.3 PFF grade.
Defensive secondary
Two gets:
- Devin Neal (Louisville) had 71 tackles, four INTs and six pass breakups in 2023, then played four games with the Cardinals in 2024 before deciding to hit the portal.
- Ja’son Prevard (Morgan State): 521 snaps, 24 tackles, four PBUs, one INT, 60.6 PFF grade.
Virginia is losing:
- Antonio Clary: 295 snaps, 48 tackles, three PBUs, one INT, 76.5 PFF grade (graduation/end of eligibility).
- Malcolm Greene: 82 snaps, zero PBUs/INTs, 67.7 PFF grade (transfer portal/UMass).
- Jonas Sanker: 796 snaps, 98 tackles, four PBUs, one INT, 71.9 PFF grade (graduation/end of eligibility).
- Kempton Shine: 695 snaps, 37 tackles, seven PBUs, 78.4 PFF grade (graduation/end of eligibility).
- Kendren Smith: 553 snaps, 39 tackles, four PBUs, one INT, 58.9 PFF grade (graduation/end of eligibility).
- Corey Thomas: 665 snaps, 47 tackles, two PBUs, two INTs, 71.7 PFF grade (graduation/end of eligibility).
Returning:
- Caleb Hardy: 171 snaps, eight tackles, two PBUs, 52.2 PFF grade.
- Jam Jackson: 760 snaps, 58 tackles, six PBUs, 54.9 PFF grade.
- Ethan Minter: 130 snaps, 18 tackles, one INT, 63.8 PFF grade.
Wideout
Nice get:
- Former Purdue wideout Jahmal Edrine, who will compete as a grad student with two years of eligibility, had 23 catches on 45 targets for 365 yards, for a 15.9-yards-per-catch average, and two TDs in 2024. His one active season at Florida Atlantic saw Edrine put up 39 catches on 69 targets for 570 yards, 14.6 yards per catch, and six TDs.
Virginia is losing:
- Malachi Fields: 55 catches/94 targets, 808 yards, 14.7 yards per catch, five TDs (transfer portal/Notre Dame.
- Jaden Gibson: 10 catches/12 targets, 91 yards, 9.1 yards per catch) (transfer portal/still uncommitted.
- Chris Tyree: 24 catches/38 targets, 136 yards, 5.7 yards per catch (graduation/end of eligibility).
- JR Wilson: eight catches/14 targets, 121 yards, 15.1 yards per catch, one TD (transfer portal/Florida Atlantic).
Returning:
- Kam Courtney: 12 catches/14 targets, 114 yards, 9.5 yards per catch.
- Trell Harris: 15 catches/25 targets, 221 yards, 14.7 yards per catch, two TDs in four games.
- Suderian Harrison: 11 catches/15 targets, 99 yards, 9.0 yards per catch.
Linebacker
Get here:
- Maddox Marcellus (Eastern Kentucky): 704 snaps, 108 tackles, one PBU, two INTs, eight QB pressures, 73.0 PFF grade.
Virginia is losing:
- Dorian Jones: 192 snaps, 18 tackles, one PBU, 64.7 PFF grade (graduation/end of eligibility).
Returning:
- Landon Daley: 94 snaps, 13 tackles, one PBU, 44.1 PFF grade.
- James Jackson: 403 snaps, 45 tackles, two sacks, 55.3 PFF grade.
- Trey McDonald: 490 snaps, 58 tackles, one PBU, one INT, one sack, 60.1 PFF grade.
- Kam Robinson: 503 snaps, 64 tackles, one PBU, one INT, five sacks, 60.6 PFF grade.
Running back
Nice get:
- J’Mari Taylor (North Carolina Central), a Walter Payton Award finalist who rushed for 1,146 and 15 TDs in 2024.
Virginia is losing:
- Kobe Pace: 116 rushes/510 yards, 4.4 yards per carry, one fumble; 20 catches/27 targets, 184 yards, 9.2 yards per catch (graduation/end of eligibility).
Returning:
- Xavier Brown: 81 rushes/487 yards, 6.0 yards per carry, one TD, zero fumbles; eight catches/13 targets, 123 yards, two TDs.
- Noah Vaughn: 36 rushes/120 yards, 3.3 yards per carry, zero fumbles; 10 catches/13 targets, 77 yards, 7.7 yards per catch
- Jack Griese: 15 rushes/55 yards, 3.7 yards per carry, zero fumbles; one catch/one target, 57 yards, one TD
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Chris Graham
