Virginia may have found its most intriguing freshman defender in Dallas Brannon, a 6-foot-2, 219-pound linebacker whose profile looks a lot like Kam Robinson’s did when he arrived in Charlottesville.
Brannon isn’t arriving with the kind of national buzz that usually follows a blue-chip linebacker, but the tools are hard to miss. He brings elite athleticism, a high football IQ and the kind of playmaking ability that can change a possession in a hurry. That combination, plus the chance to crack a thin linebacker room, is why he stands out as the true freshman most likely to surprise this fall.
The recruiting industry didn’t exactly stamp him as a can’t-miss prospect. Brannon was a three-star senior at Independence High School in Charlotte, N.C., and On3.com ranked him as the No. 122 linebacker in the country and the 44th-best player in North Carolina.
Even so, his offer sheet was crowded. He drew 31 scholarship offers and visited Miami, Tennessee, South Carolina, Duke and Virginia before choosing the Cavaliers, despite On3 giving him just a 1.1% chance of landing in Charlottesville.
The timing could work in his favor. Virginia opens preseason camp on Wednesday, and the depth chart at linebacker is wide open enough to give Brannon a real shot.
Presumed starters Robinson and Maddox Marcellus are both working back from injuries, while senior Landon Danley is the only other linebacker on the roster with meaningful college experience. Virginia also didn’t add a linebacker through the NCAA transfer portal, leaving the freshmen with a clear lane to make an impression.
That means Brannon and fellow freshman Derek Uran, the No. 63 linebacker in the Class of 2026, should get plenty of looks during camp. Uran is listed at nearly 15 pounds lighter than Brannon, and together the two could grow into Virginia’s starting linebacker pairing in 2027.
Brannon’s high school production suggests why coaches are intrigued. As a senior, he piled up 79 solo tackles and 108 total tackles, with 11 tackles for loss and three sacks.
He also forced three fumbles, recovered two and blocked a punt. For that season, the Charlotte Touchdown Club gave him its Defensive Player of the Year award, named for former Carolina Panthers All-Pro Luke Kuechly, and he earned all-conference honors for the third straight year.
Of course, college football is a different level, faster and more physical. But Brannon walks into a situation that gives him a strong guide in Robinson, who is Virginia’s most likely all-ACC player.
Robinson is coming off a season-ending torn ACL and hopes to be ready for the opener against N.C. State on Aug.
- If he isn’t, Virginia may already have a close stand-in waiting in Brannon.
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