For UVa's revenue sports, 2025-26 will be the year of the transfer

The college sports landscape has undergone incredible change in the past several years, culminating in the recent House settlement and revenue sharing opportunities for athletes. But the area that probably feels the most different to fans is roster building and the transactional nature that exists with the portal and NIL.

For Virginia fans, the transition is going to be felt in a major way this year, with so many new faces across the two revenue sports, many of whom will be counted on to be productive and hopefully lead those two programs to success. 

While it can be difficult to find a theme to bridge the two revenue sports together for discussion, it’s quite easy for Virginia in 2025-26, which will be the year of the transfer for both football and men’s basketball.

UVa’s updated football roster features 31 transfers (32 if you count former Cornell lacrosse player turned tight end Walker Wallace) heading into fall camp. A majority of them were signed in the winter, following the 2024 season, with another decent group signing with the Hoos following spring ball. This is how it breaks down:

• 2 quarterbacks
• 2 running backs
• 3 wide receivers
• 1 tight end
• 7 offensive linemen
• 6 defensive linemen
• 1 linebacker
• 9 defensive backs
• 1 long snapper

Obviously, UVa had priorities all over the roster. But the additions in the trenches and in the secondary stand out UVa clearly had an intention to get more physical and deep on the offensive and defensive line, with 13 of their 32 transfer additions set to feature on the line of scrimmage. On defense, UVa needed more rotational depth across the board, but really needed to address their anemic pass rush which has finished near the bottom nationally two years running. Adding Elon’s Cazeem Moore, UNLV’s Fisher Camac, Ohio State’s Mitchell Melton and Tennessee Tech’s Daniel Rickert, in addition to some up-and-coming talent already on the roster, is a step in the right direction. If UVa is more successful creating havoc plays, it will likely be to the credit of some of these newcomers. 

UVa is rebuilding it’s offensive line, too. Terry Heffernan was able to keep a few veterans around, specifically McKale Boley and Noah Josey, who have played a lot of football at UVa. But those two, along with everyone else returning, will have to fight off the seven newcomers for playing time. Unfortunately that number is really six, since Louisville’s Monroe Mills was lost to the season in spring practice with a knee injury. Perhaps he’ll get a waiver and will be able to suit up for the Hoos in 2026. Even without Mills, UVa has added a ton of experience and talent, with former all-conference selections Makilan Thomas (Arkansas State) and Wallace Unamba (New Mexico) in the fold at tackle, and versatile options in Kevin Wigenton (Illinois) and Tyshawn Wyatt (JMU) in the fold, as well. UAB transfer Brady Wilson is the likely starter at center, having had a very successful run with the Blazers prior to transferring. Just like the defensive line, if UVa’s offensive line is improved, it will be because of the talent added through the portal.

The UVa staff clearly saw a need at defensive back, and got very aggressive in the spring portal window. In total, Virginia added nine defensive backs, most of whom will start at corner but there are at least a few that can play safety. There should be robust competition across the board, and it’s anyone’s guess who will start at the corner spots. Two returnees that were projected to at least compete for a starting job, Jam Jackson and Dre Walker, have suffered injuries, which further opens the door for newcomers to win the jobs. 

While all of those additions will go a long way towards determining how successful UVa will be this season, none of them is as important as the additions to the quarterback room. Virginia added North Texas transfer Chandler Morris and Nebraska’s Danny Kaelin in the offseason, and the two signal callers competed in spring practice. While the staff is branding the quarterback battle as an open competition, it would be pretty surprising if Morris doesn’t ultimately win the job. He was brought in, choosing UVa over a bunch of comparable offers, to try and get UVa’s offense going after the staff has struggled to find consistent success scoring points through three years in Charlottesville. Morris was second-team All-AAC last year, leading a high-powered North Texas offense with 3,884 passing yards and 31 touchdown passes. 

Simply put, UVa needs him to be good, and get UVa’s offense going. Perhaps the Hoos will be able to run the ball better and be more balanced with a pair of transfer backs added in Wyoming’s Harrison Waylee and NC Central’s J’Mari Taylor, but Morris will be the one called upon to make big plays when they’re required, and UVa will be counting on him to deliver in those moments.

On the hoops side, it’s the same story, more or less: new faces and names to learn for Cavalier fans. The basketball program is also breaking in a new coach, which can further complicate a transition, but this team is so new that they might as well all acclimate together. Ryan Odom added seven transfers via the portal to a roster that brings back exactly 0 minutes of playing experience from the 2024-25 team. He also received commitments from foreign forwards Johann Grunloh (Germany) and Thijs De Ridder (Belgium), with the former already on the roster and the latter, who seems UVa bound at this point, simply pending the announcement. 

On the transfer front, UVa was quite aggressive in rebuilding the roster, grabbing most of their commitments before those players even set foot on Grounds. It’s a brand new world, and with NIL, revenue sharing and agents, these deals are much more like professional free agent signings than old school recruitments. And UVa’s new staff took a modern approach to adding talent. 

In the backcourt, UVa added veteran point guard Dallin Hall from BYU. Hall played a ton of ball for the Cougars, and should work well in tandem with incoming freshman Chance Mallory. Odom also added Jacari White, a versatile scoring guard from North Dakota State, along with Toledo’s Sam Lewis, one of the best catch-and-shoot wings in the country. Perhaps the biggest prize in the portal came later, when San Francisco transfer guard Malik Thomas was granted a waiver for a final year of eligibility and quickly committed to the Hoos. Thomas led the West Coast Conference in scoring and could end up leading the Cavaliers in the category, as well. Thomas is a good shooter and creator that could be a difference maker for a new-look UVa squad. 

In the frontcourt, Odom added K-State rim protector Ugonna Onyenso, who should compete for playing time at the five spot, and clearly has some ability, albeit raw. UVa also landed UC Irvine transfer Devin Tillis, who can play inside out and is both a good rebounder and three-point shooter. Odom also brought French wing Martin Carrere along with him from VCU. Carrere is more of a long-term potential play than an immediate solution. 

Odom built a brand-new team from the transfer portal, and while it’s probably smart to be optimistic about the talent being brought in, the 2025-26 Hoos are a bit of a mystery at this point. There is obviously talent on the roster but none of the players have played together or for Odom and his staff, so there will be a lot of learnings along the way for the entire group.

For UVa fans, the 2025-26 academic year will probably require a bit more work to learn the rosters and get to know the names and hopefully the personalities of all these transfers across the two revenue sports. While a lot of fans prefer continuity and the normalcy of having familiar faces year over year, there could be a bigger payoff to all these additions of things work out well. Elliott’s football roster should be his best, by far, since arriving in Charlottesville, and it finally feels like the Hoos may be ready for a breakout season. That’s far from a guarantee, but it’s on the table where it really hasn’t been in the last few years. And for basketball, while Cavalier fans must learn a new staff and a bunch of new players, there is clear upside, and the 2025-26 team while new, will hopefully be the beginning of something exciting. 

So while UVa fans at Scott Stadium and John Paul Jones Arena may need a gameday program more than ever, the year of the transfer brings a ton of potential for a successful 2025-26 campaign.