2026 WR Jack Rhodes talks UVa commitment and impressions of the program

Class of 2026 wide receiver Jack Rhodes has been playing football his entire life, making an impact at Aquinas High School in Augusta, Georgia along the way.

His freshman year, he started at quarterback for the last six-and-a-half games after Aquinas’ starter went down with an injury. The following season, he switched to receiver which he has stuck with since. Despite the later switch, his skill at the position nabbed the senior a handful of D1 offers.

But it was Virginia where Rhodes was hoping to end up, and after the Hoos extended him an offer shortly after he committed to Navy on June 21, he officially flipped his commitment on Wednesday.

“It was not an easy decision,” he said, “because I liked Navy a lot too. I talked to my parents for a couple days, and we eventually came to the decision that Virginia was the best fit for me.”

Still, the two sides had been talking throughout his recruitment process. Rhodes first made contact with UVa’s staff about two years ago, when he was invited for one of the team’s camps. He stayed in contact with the staff, eventually taking a gameday visit.

“When I went up there on my game day visit,” he said, “I got to see a lot of Charlottesville, the campus, the facilities, and I loved all of it.”

As the offers came in, Rhodes initially picked the Midshipmen over Air Force and Stanford, but in retrospect said part of him was hoping the Hoos would extend an offer. Still, he called it “a little bit of a surprise” once they did.

Ultimately, Rhodes chose the Hoos, citing UVa’s family environment, both in and outside of the program, as a big factor in his decision.

“You can easily go to a game and tell everyone’s a Virginia fan,” he said, “and they’re all close family.”

Rhodes will join the Hoos in 2026, and hopes to bring excitement to their passionate fanbase as the program attempts to continue its upswing. UVa’s upward trajectory as of late was appealing to Rhodes, and he hopes to help the Hoos continue their momentum next year.

“You want to be going to a school that’s definitely on the uptick,” he said. “I just want to come in and do my part and help bring the university up and help the football team out.”