Virginia lands transfer portal commitment from former Pitt, Alabama QB Eli Holstein

According to On3’s Hayes Fawcett, Virginia has landed a commitment out of the NCAA transfer portal from quarterback Eli Holstein. The last two seasons for Holstein have been spent a little further north with the Pittsburgh Panthers. He will be staying in the ACC but opts to play for head coach Tony Elliott.

Holstein emerged from fall camp as Pitt’s starting quarterback but wound up only playing in eight games. True freshman Mason Heintschel eventually took over, helping the Panthers make a run at a spot in the ACC Championship game. Head coach Pat Narduzzi made the move in early October after two straight losses.

Still, a solid amount of production came from Holstein. He threw for 1,081 yards on 125 pass attempts, completing 77 of those. Twelve touchdowns look pretty good for him but six interceptions were a major problem. Half of those came in the defeats to West Virginia and Louisville.

There is still a belief that Holstein can turn into a solid contributor at some point. He ranks as the No. 384 overall player and No. 29-ranked quarterback per the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings. All this equates to Holstein being considered a three-star prospect for the time being.

Additionally, this is not the first time Holstein has gone through the transfer portal process. His career began at Alabama after being a four-star prospect coming out of Zachary (LA). He was the No. 84 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Eli Holstein becomes quarterback No. 2 for Virginia in transfer portal

Holstein is not the first quarterback to commit to Virginia during this transfer portal cycle. Another big name came off the board in the form of Beau Pribula. UVA was able to lure Pribula to Charlottesville over multiple other power conference programs.

Chandler Morris is out of eligibility, meaning the starting spot is open for the time being. Whether Pribula will enter spring ball as the perceived starter or an open competition is about to take place, we will have to wait and see. Either way, you add in Holstein and it’s an exciting situation unfolding.