Virginia’s football recruiting classes in the 2020s haven’t exactly lit up the national rankings, but the Cavaliers have still found real value in the high school ranks. The transfer portal has delivered plenty of headline names - Chandler Morris, Malik Washington, Keytaon Thompson, Chico Bennett Jr., Jelani Woods, Anthony Johnson and J’Mari Taylor among them - yet a handful of signees have still become important pieces for Virginia.
The strongest class of the decade came in 2022, when Virginia landed Noah Josey, Malachi Fields and Jacob Rodriguez. Josey developed into a three-year starter on the offensive line.
Fields grew into Virginia’s top target at receiver. Rodriguez arrived as a quarterback, then transferred to Texas Tech and turned into an All-America linebacker.
But the best of that group was Antonio Sanker. He became a three-year starter at safety, picked up first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors as a senior and led Virginia with 107 tackles in 2023 and 98 in 2024. That production helped make him a third-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2025.
In 2021, Virginia’s top signee was Jowon Briggs. Some tenured professors don't spend as much time on Grounds as Carter did.
Thanks to bonus seasons granted by the NCAA due to the COVID pandemic and the 2021 shootings of four Virginia players, Carter managed to play for six seasons and make 58 starts as anchor of the Cavaliers' defensive line before exhausting his eligibility last fall. He made 164 career tackles, including 8.5 for loss.
The 2023 class was headlined by Blake Boley. A modest three-star recruit out of Hattiesburg, Miss., Boley quickly introduced himself to Virginia fans, joining former NFL star D'Brickashaw Ferguson as the only true freshmen to start at tackle on opening day. He became a full-time starter the next season and was named second-team all-ACC by Phil Steele magazine in 2025, when he earned a national-best blocking grade of 91.9 from Pro Football Focus for his Week 4 performance against Stanford.
He’s back for a fifth year as a graduate student, dominating in a class that also included Dakota Twitty, Xavier Brown, and Will Bettridge.
Virginia’s 2024 top signee was Kam Courtney, but the edge goes to Ja’Son Minter. Minter was Virginia’s only freshman to appear in all 12 games in 2024 and made a key interception against Louisville. As a sophomore, he earned a starting position and made 47 tackles, including six each in key regular-season wins over Florida State and Duke.
That leaves the 2025 class, where Ethan Costner made an immediate impression. Another instant impact defensive back, Costner started twice as a freshman and made a couple of key interceptions: one against Florida State and another in the ACC championship game against Duke. He was credited with 28 total tackles, three pass breakups, and a forced fumble on the season and figures to compete for a starting role this fall.
In Other News...
Jurian Dixon May Hold The Answer To Virginias Biggest Question
Ryan Odoms first season in Charlottesville gave Virginia plenty to build on, with 30 wins, a second-place ACC finish and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The roster now brings back four key players and adds a new wave of talent, including guards Jan Vide, Christian Harmon and Jurian Dixon, giving the Cavaliers a deeper look as they turn toward the next season.
The biggest question left is how Odom sorts out the backcourt, where Dixon enters the mix with a chance to claim a starting role. Virginia has options, but the way those guards fit together may end up shaping the lineup more than anything else, and Dixons arrival gives the Cavaliers another piece who could help settle that conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Virginias Newcomers Are Already Putting One Rotation Battle On Notice
Virginias 2026 transfer class already looks like it will shape the rotation conversation before the season even gets here. Jan Vide arrived late, but the staff appears to view him as more than a depth add, with enough two-way value to matter right away. Sam Lewis also fits into that group of newcomers expected to push for real minutes, while Dixon brings a different kind of intrigue as one of the more talked-about additions in the class.
The biggest question may be how all of that talent gets sorted once the lineup starts to settle. Dixons ceiling gives him a chance to become a focal point, and Anya stands out as the wild card after flashing the kind of rebounding that can earn a quick path into the frontcourt mix. For Virginia, the challenge is less about finding options than figuring out which of these new pieces can force their way into steady roles early enough to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Opponents Suddenly Carry More ACC Pressure Than Fans Realize
The ACCs coaching picture has become one of the more interesting subplots around Virginias schedule, because the Cavaliers are not just lining up against teams, they are lining up against staffs with very different levels of security and momentum. Some of those opponents are coming off major accomplishments, including championship runs or College Football Playoff appearances, while others are still trying to prove they can turn promise into something more durable. For Virginia, that matters because every game can feel a little different depending on whether the other sideline is built around stability or scrutiny.
Tony Elliotts own situation sits in that larger league-wide conversation, but the pressure is hardly limited to Charlottesville. Mario Cristobal and Mike Norvell are among the names drawing attention for different reasons, and the article sorts several ACC coaches into buckets ranging from secure to warm seat to likely safe. For Virginia fans, the takeaway is simple enough: the Cavaliers are navigating a conference where the coaching landscape could shift quickly, and some of the teams on the schedule may look a lot different by the time the season really settles in. [Read more 🡒]