Cavaliers Now

Legacy Tight End TeKai Kirby Commits to Virginia Football

TeKai Kirby, the son of former UVA running back Terry Kirby, committed to the Cavaliers on Friday

Matt Newton

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TeKai Kirby

TeKai Kirby's dream of playing football at the University of Virginia has come true. The son of former UVA running back Terry Kirby announced his commitment to the Cavaliers on Friday. 

"Thank you to Coach Elliott, Coach Kitchings, Coach Slade and the entire staff at UVA for giving me this incredible opportunity to make my dreams become a reality," Kirby said in a social media post. 

A 6'3", 210-pound tight end from St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Kirby picked up an offer from Tony Elliott and the Cavaliers last Saturday after working out at a camp at UVA a couple of days earlier. Less than a week later, Kirby announced his commitment to Virginia, following in his father's footsteps. 

Terry Kirby played at UVA from 1989 to 1992 and finished his career as the program's all-time leader in rushing yards with 3,348, a record that has since been broken by Tiki Barber (3,389 yards) and Thomas Jones (3,998 yards). Kirby twice led the ACC in rushing (1990 and 1992) and was the team's leader in receptions in his final two seasons. Now, his son will look to further the Kirby legacy at the UVA football program. 

TeKai Kirby is also continuing a strong recent trend of players from St. Thomas Aquinas committing to UVA. Two players from the recruiting class of 2022, offensive linemen Dawson Alters and Blake Steen, will play for the Hoos this fall after committing to Virginia from St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale earlier this year. 

Kirby is the sixth player to commit to Virginia in the recruiting class of 2023: 

  • offensive lineman Cole Surber (committed April 29th)
  • running back Donte Hawthorne (committed May 29th)
  • cornerback Jarvis Lee (committed June 5th)
  • defensive lineman Miles Greene (committed June 6th)
  • wide receiver Amare Thomas (committed June 17th)
  • tight end TeKai Kirby (committed June 24th)

See more details on each of Virginia's class of 2023 football commits here.

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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