Cavaliers Now

Virginia Lands Transfer Commitment From Houston Offensive Lineman

The UVA offensive line got some much-needed reinforcement from a 6'4", 300-pound tackle transfer with three years of eligibility

Matt Newton

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Virginia has yet to hire a new offensive line coach, but that hasn't stopped Tony Elliott and the Cavaliers from securing a significant commitment from an offensive lineman out of the transfer portal. Ugonna Nnanna, a 6'4", 300-pound offensive tackle from Houston, announced on Thursday afternoon that he is transferring to Virginia. 

Nnanna had offers from nearly 20 programs in the transfer portal, including Virginia, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, South Florida, Jackson State, UAB, Western Michigan, Marshall, and more. Nnanna took visits to both East Carolina and UVA last weekend and announced his commitment to the Cavaliers on Wednesday. 

A former three-star prospect coming out of high school, Nnanna had offers from Washington State, Vanderbilt, Air Force, Liberty, and others, but chose to commit to Houston, where he played in eight total games over three seasons, including five appearances in the 2021 season. 

Nnanna comes to Virginia with three years of eligibility remaining, giving the Cavaliers a major boost at a position of need. UVA had previously secured a commitment from Daijon Parker, an offensive line transfer from Saginaw Valley State, but Parker decided to flip his commitment to Iowa last week, citing Virginia's lack of an offensive line coach as a major factor in his decision. The Cavaliers remain in search of a new offensive line coach to replace Garett Tujague, who left to take the same job at NC State on December 11th. Over a month later, Virginia has still yet to hire Tujague's successor, making it even more remarkable that the Cavaliers were able to lock up Nnanna's commitment. 

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

Keep track of all of UVA's movements in the NCAA 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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