Virginia’s transfer haul was built for volume, but training camp is starting to separate the names from the impact players.
Tony Elliott signed 31 transfers last winter, and with camp now into its second full week, the Cavaliers are beginning to sort out who’s actually pushing toward real roles. There’s only so much room on the field, which means not every newcomer is going to carve out a major spot this season. But if Virginia is going to hit its goals, it’s going to need a good chunk of that group to deliver.
The two transfers drawing the loudest praise are also two of the most important pieces on the roster: quarterback Beau Pribula from Missouri and safety Brandyn Hillman from Michigan. Pribula beat out fellow transfer Eli Holstein of Pittsburgh in spring and has continued to look like the guy at the position, with coaches and teammates talking up his arm strength, mobility and leadership. Hillman, who was a reserve on Michigan’s 2024 national title team, has brought the kind of speed and physical edge Virginia wanted in the back end.
“I mean, he's one of those safeties that those receivers and tight ends are like, 'All right, where is he?' ” Virginia defensive coordinator John Rudzinski told reporters last week. “They want to know because he's going to come down and he's going to make sure he puts his face mask on you, square and legally.”
A handful of other transfers have also started to separate themselves. Running back Jekail Middlebrook of Middle Tennessee appears to have the early edge over Peyton Lewis of Tennessee in the competition for the No. 1 job, with his versatility and quickness standing out.
Receiver Jacquon Gibson, who caught 63 passes at UMass last season, has slid right into the slot. Cornerback Omillio Agard, back from a wrist injury suffered in spring, is making a push for a starting role.
And on defense, Nnanna Anyanwu and Darrion Henry-Young have earned notice from the staff for their pass rush, athleticism, football IQ and ability to get off blocks. Henry-Young’s path has taken him from Princeton to Ohio State, Kentucky and Coastal Carolina before landing at Virginia.
There are also several transfers whose camp has been quieter so far, though that doesn’t mean they’ve fallen out of the picture. Receivers Rico Flores Jr. and Tyson Davis, offensive lineman Ryan Brubaker, defensive ends Matthew Fobbs-White and Ezekiel Larry, and cornerback Jacobie Henderson haven’t generated much public buzz yet.
Flores, after previous stops at Notre Dame and UCLA, is still viewed as a leading candidate to be the go-to receiver. Coaches are still sorting through the tape from Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage, and that should help clarify where everyone stands.
At running back, Lewis, a former four-star recruit from Salem High School, seems to be trailing Middlebrook in the race to replace J’Mari Taylor. And wideout Da’Shawn Martin, who came over from Kent State, drew a sharp message from Elliott on the first day of practice for not competing hard enough and has since slipped behind a crowded group of receivers.
On the defensive line, Justin Townsend of Columbia, Kervins Choute of UConn and Devon Baxter of Michigan were already fighting through a numbers crunch before Saturday’s ruling changed the picture. Jacob Holmes and Cazeem Moore will rejoin team activities after being granted an additional year of eligibility, and both players logged extensive snaps last season.
In Other News...
Virginia Is Quietly Building The Kind Of Roster Fans Notice
Bruce Feldmans annual Freaks List for the 2026 college football season offered another reminder that Virginia is starting to collect the kind of athletes that make people around the league take notice. Three Cavaliers made the cut, with McKale Boley, Thomas and Pribula each earning mention for standout strength, speed and agility work that helped them stand out in Feldmans profiling of the sports most physically impressive players.
For a program trying to build more buzz, those kinds of recognition points matter because they signal a roster with real developmental upside, not just a few isolated standouts. Feldmans notes on their measurements and workout results suggest Virginia has more than one player who can turn heads in a testing setting, and that sort of attention tends to follow a team when its athletic profile starts rising in public view. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Just Earned Serious ACC Respect Before Week Zero
Virginia enters the 2026 preseason with a much different kind of attention than it has had in recent years, at least in the eyes of the ACCs early pecking order. The conferences preliminary power rankings put the Cavaliers in the conversation with teams that have been carrying more established expectations, a sign that the league sees real progress in the build as Week Zero approaches. For a program still trying to steady itself in a crowded conference, even a modest jump in respect matters.
The broader ACC picture helps explain why Virginias positioning stands out. Clemson is still part of the familiar upper tier, while programs like NC State and several others are sorting through their own questions, from coaching situations to injury concerns and ongoing rebuilds. In that mix, Virginias place feels less like a fluke and more like a statement about where the Cavaliers might fit if the early momentum around the roster holds once the season actually kicks off. [Read more 🡒]
Virginias First Scrimmage Left A Few Starting Jobs Very Much Open
Virginias first official scrimmage of fall camp gave the coaching staff its first real look at how the 2026 lineup might take shape, and a few jobs already seem to have clearer answers than others. Beau Pribula looks positioned to take hold at quarterback, Dakota Twitty appears headed toward the starting tight end role, and the overall picture suggests there is at least some stability emerging as the Cavaliers inch toward the season opener.
Even so, several spots are still in play, with injuries and position battles keeping the depth chart from settling too quickly. Virginia is still sorting through options like Devon Baxter and Jacquon Gibson as it evaluates who fits where, and the first scrimmage only underscored how much can still shift before the games begin. For a team trying to build a reliable starting group, that lingering uncertainty may be just as important as the early clarity. [Read more 🡒]