Cavaliers Now

Virginia Lands Commitment From UCF Offensive Line Transfer Drake Metcalf

Metcalf played in 21 games over the last three seasons, first at Stanford under now UVA offensive line coach Terry Heffernan, and then at UCF

Matt Newton

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Help is on the way for the UVA offensive line, a unit that is still very much a work in progress. Virginia landed a key transfer portal commitment from UCF graduate transfer offensive lineman Drake Metcalf on Thursday night. Metcalf, who has two years of eligibility remaining, announced the decision on social media following an official visit to UVA earlier this week. 

The Cavaliers had a convenient connection to assist them in recruiting Metcalf, who was a highly-recruited four-star prospect out of St. John Bosco in California. Metcalf had offers from USC, Oregon, TCU, and other notable programs, but committed to Stanford, where he played for Terry Heffernan, who now serves as the offensive line coach at Virginia. When longtime Stanford head coach David Shaw resigned at the end of the 2022 season, both Heffernan and Metcalf went to the East Coast, with Heffernan joining Tony Elliott's staff at UVA and Metcalf heading to Central Florida by way of the transfer portal. 

Metcalf now reunites with his former offensive line coach at Virginia and brings with him a great deal of experience. After redshirting his first season at Stanford in 2020, Metcalf played in all 12 games for the Cardinal in 2021 and then appeared in three games in 2022. Upon transferring to UCF, Metcalf played in six games, logging snaps at center as well as guard. At Virginia, Metcalf could end up playing any of the three spots on the interior of the offensive line. 

Metcalf was the second transfer to commit to Virginia on Thursday, joining Penn defensive back Kendren Smith. While Metcalf is a graduate transfer, he still has two years of eligibility remaining. 

Drake Metcalf is the fifth transfer commitment Virginia has picked up this offseason, joining Notre Dame wide receiver Chris Tyree, Akron linebacker Corey Thomas Jr., Harvard tight end Tyler Neville, and Penn defensive back Kendren Smith. 

Keep track of all of Virginia's activity in the college football transfer portal here: Virginia Football Transfer Portal Updates

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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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