Iowa State Cornerback Tayvonn Kyle Transfers to Virginia Football

The Cavaliers strengthen their secondary with a two-time All-Big 12 selection

Bryon Houlgrave/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Virginia Cavaliers picked up another significant win in their efforts to bolster the secondary through the transfer portal as Iowa State cornerback Tayvonn Kyle is transferring to UVA, he announced in a social media post on Sunday night. 

A 5'11" defensive back from Valdosta, Georgia, Kyle comes to Virginia after spending the last five years at Iowa State, where he appeared in 42 games, including 12 starts. Kyle totaled 76 tackles, including 51 solo stops and seven tackles for loss, as well as 12 passes defended and one interception for the Cyclones.

Kyle was an All-Big 12 honorable mention in back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020. He emerged as one of Iowa State's top defensive backs in the second half of his redshirt freshman season in 2019, starting the last five games of the season and posting a season-high seven tackles against Notre Dame. Kyle had his best season in 2020, tallying 28 tackles, including two tackles for loss, seven passes defended, and one interception. He played in all 12 games this past season, registering 16 tackles and four pass breakups. 

Kyle entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer on December 20th and was courted by multiple programs in the portal, including UVA, Purdue, and East Carolina. Ultimately, Kyle chose the Cavaliers, announcing his commitment following an official visit to Virginia this past weekend. Kyle comes to UVA with one year of eligibility remaining. 

The Cavaliers faced the challenge of addressing two massive holes at the cornerback position this offseason with the departures of First-Team All-ACC cornerback Anthony Johnson to the NFL Draft and Second-Team All-ACC cornerback Fentrell Cypress II to Florida State. Those are big shoes to fill, but Virginia now has a much better chance at maintaining the secondary as a position of strength with the additions of Tayvonn Kyle and North Carolina defensive back transfer Cam'Ron Kelly, a 2021 Third-Team All-ACC selection who committed to UVA on January 6th. Both Kelly and Kyle come to Virginia with several seasons of experience playing the cornerback position at the Power Five level. 

Tayvonn Kyle is the sixth player to transfer to Virginia this offseason, joining Monmouth quarterback Tony Muskett, Northwestern wide receiver Malik Washington, Clemson running back Kobe Pace, North Carolina defensive back Cam'Ron Kelly, and Houston offensive lineman Ugonna Nnanna. 

Keep track of all of UVA's movements in the NCAA transfer portal here: Virginia Football Transfer Portal Updates

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