The Virginia Cavaliers continue to reshape their receiver room through the transfer portal, landing their second wideout of this cycle in Da’Shawn Martin. The 6-foot, 170-pound receiver made his commitment official via Instagram after visiting Grounds on Thursday.
Martin brings proven production to Charlottesville, having hauled in 33 catches for 507 yards and four touchdowns during the 2025 season. With two years of eligibility remaining, he offers both immediate impact and long-term value for a Cavaliers offense looking to build consistency on the perimeter.
He joins fellow portal addition Rico Flores, a transfer from UCLA, as the Cavaliers double down on experience in a position group that already boasts plenty of young talent. Returning receivers like TyLyric Coleman, Dillon Newton-Short, Josiah Abdullah, and Isaiah Robinson have shown flashes, and this year’s freshman class adds even more depth. But with Martin and Flores now in the mix, Virginia adds two battle-tested veterans who can help stabilize the passing game and serve as mentors to the underclassmen.
This offseason marks the first under the NCAA’s revamped transfer portal rules, which have shifted the window for FBS and FCS players. While portal announcements might still pop up on social media, players at those levels weren’t officially allowed to enter until January 2. Only those from Division II or III programs-or players already grandfathered in under the old system-could move prior to that date.
The NCAA has also consolidated the portal calendar. Instead of two windows, there’s now just one: January 2 through January 16.
The 15-day spring window is gone, and graduate transfers no longer have special access to enter outside of that timeframe. Everyone now plays by the same rules.
One more tweak: a coaching change no longer opens a fresh 30-day window. If a new head coach is hired after January 2, players only get a 15-day window to enter the portal.
And while players still have the option to pull their name out of the portal and return to their current team, that’s more the exception than the rule. Most who enter are looking for a fresh start-and for Da’Shawn Martin, that next chapter begins with the Cavaliers.