Grading Virginia Football's Transfer Portal Pickups So Far

Matt Newton | Dec 29, 2024

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The transfer portal window closed on December 28th for most college football teams. Virginia has picked up commitments from 11 transfers so far and is expected to be active with several more transfer targets once the holiday recruiting dead period ends. But for now, let's take a look at UVA's current incoming transfer class and assign letter grades to evaluate each player and his fit with the Cavaliers.

Daniel Kaelin, Quarterback (Nebraska): B

As a quick note, these letter grades are less about the individual talent of these players (which is tough to assess at this point, especially for a player like Daniel Kaelin, who hasn't played a down of college football) and more about their potential fit at Virginia. We're giving Kaelin's addition to the UVA roster a B because it's tough to project what Kaelin's impact will be next season and beyond. He won't be the starter in 2025 with Chandler Morris coming in, but he seems to have quite a bit of potential that the Cavaliers are hoping to maximize in the future. For next season, Kaelin should compete with Gavin Frakes and Bjorn Jurgensen for the backup spot on the depth chart.

Click here to read more on Daniel Kaelin.

Devin Neal, Defensive Back (Louisville): A+

Of the defensive transfers Virginia has brought in so far, Devin Neal is probably the most ready to immediately play and make a big impact. Between his time at Louisville and Baylor, Neal has played in 55 games and he was a Third-Team All-ACC selection for the Cardinals in 2023. With Jonas Sanker off to the NFL, Virginia had a big hole to fill at the safety position and Neal should slide in fairly seamlessly alongside Antonio Clary, who is expected to return for his seventh season at UVA. With Clary and Neal manning the back end of John Rudzinski's secondary, Virginia could have the most experienced safety unit in the ACC next season.

Click here to read more on Devin Neal.

Ja'son Prevard, Defensive Back (Morgan State): B-

Let's start with the good. Ja'son Prevard has great size for a defensive back at 6'3". He's coming to UVA with two years of eligibility and he fills a big position of need for the Cavaliers at the cornerback spot. He was also an FCS Freshman All-American in 2023. The only question is whether his game will translate not just to the FBS, but to the Power Conference level of competition. Plenty of FCS players have made this jump and Prevard could be one of those guys, but it's far from a guarantee.

Click here to read more on Ja'son Prevard.

Jacob Holmes, Defensive Tackle (Fresno State): B-

Another player where the jump in competition level is a question, Jacob Holmes ought to give a big boost to Virginia's depleted defensive line, as the Cavaliers are losing more than a few key contributors on the defensive line to either exhausted eligibility or the transfer portal. Holmes has good size at 6'3", 300 pounds and racked up 24 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks in 2024, but we'll just have to wait and see if it translates.

Click here to read more on Jacob Holmes.

Chandler Morris, Quarterback (North Texas): A

This is the big one. The Hoos wanted an experienced, reliable starting quarterback out of the transfer portal and they got one. Virginia is replacing Anthony Colandrea and Tony Muskett with a quarterback who ranked in the top five in the country in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and completions. Chandler Morris has played in 32 games, including some big ones, and has experience succeeding as a quarterback at all levels of college football. I have some slight concerns about his injury history, but he is coming off a fairly healthy and obviously very productive 2024 season at North Texas. Morris has a good arm, sees the field well, and scrambles very effectively. If Tony Elliott and Des Kitchings put a semi-capable offensive line in front of him and tailor the system to him (two big question marks), Virginia's offense could finally break through in 2025.

Click here to read more on Chandler Morris.

J'Mari Taylor, Running Back (NC Central): C

Taylor was very productive at the FCS level last season, rushing for 1,146 yards and 15 touchdowns and being named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, presented to the national offensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football. That said, we've seen all sorts of promising running backs come into UVA in the past three or four years and none of them have been able to break through. Taylor will help boost Virginia's depth with Kobe Pace's departure, but he'll be competing with Noah Vaughn and Donte Hawthorne for a spot on the depth chart behind Xavier Brown, who should be the team's lead back in his senior year. Those four players should make for a quality running back room, but of course, whether the Virginia offense can finally have some success running the football will ultimately come down to the quality of the offensive line and play design more than the ball carriers themselves.

Click here to read more on J'Mari Taylor.

Cazeem Moore (Elon): B

We have similar questions about competition level with Moore as we do with Jacob Holmes, but we're giving Moore a better grade because he has the physical attributes to fill the hole left by Kam Butler at defensive end. Butler was listed at 6'3", 256 pounds; Moore is 6'5", 255 pounds. Moore registered six sacks, 12 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles in 2024 at Elon and Virginia will need him to replicate that production on the edge for the Cavaliers in 2025.

Click here to read more on Cazeem Moore.

Brady Wilson, Offensive Lineman (UAB): A+

With respect to Chandler Morris, who is a great get for Virginia at the most important position on the field, there's an argument to be made that Brady Wilson is UVA's best transfer pickup so far. Everyone knows that not much is going to improve offensively for the Cavaliers until the offensive line gets fixed. There are some nice pieces returning in Blake Steen, McKale Boley, and hopefully Noah Josey, but the biggest hole to plug on the O-Line is Brian Stevens. Virginia wasn't even planning to have Stevens play center, but the former Dayton transfer wound up being a two-time All-ACC selection at that spot. Now, UVA is set to replace Stevens with an experienced center who did not allow a single sack in 542 passing snaps in 2024 and who was twice named to the watch list for the Rimington Trophy, presented to the top center in college football. Virginia will need to bring in more reinforcements on the offensive line, but Wilson is a massive addition.

Click here to read more on Brady Wilson.

Maddox Marcellus, Linebacker (Eastern Kentucky): B+

There is one looming question for the Virginia linebacker unit and that's the status of James Jackson, who has used four years of eligibility but could potentially get a waiver for a fifth season. Jackson could be gone and Dorian Jones is gone, but the Cavaliers should return Kam Robinson and Trey McDonald and they're expecting to get Stevie Bracey back from injury, but Maddox Marcellus will make that a very well-rounded unit as he comes to Virginia after posting 97 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two interceptions, and five passes defended this season at Eastern Kentucky. He is also a solid pickup for the future, as Marcellus comes to UVA with two years of eligibility remaining.

Click here to read more on Maddox Marcellus.

Jahmal Edrine, Wide Receiver (Purdue): B

Edrine was a good player on a bad Purdue team this season and his numbers don't jump off the page, but he has good size at 6'3" and solid hands and ball skills which should set him up for success at a place with a better passing game. Virginia lost a lot of wide receivers to the transfer portal; the big one is Malachi Fields, but JR Wilson, Jaden Gibson, and Ethan Davies are tough losses as well. UVA is set to bring back Trell Harris, Suderian Harrison, Kam Courtney, and Andre Greene Jr., but Jahmal Edrine should give the Hoos a much-needed boost in terms of depth, but maybe more importantly, in terms of downfield receiving. Edrine averaged 15.87 yards per reception in 2024, seventh-best in the Big Ten.

Click here to read more on Jahmal Edrine.

Hunter Osborne, Defensive Lineman (Alabama): A-

The only reason Osborne has a minus next to his A is because this transfer pickup is almost all based on potential. The 6'4", 300-pound defensive lineman got offers from more than 50 programs, including most of the Power Five, but chose to remain in his home state and go to Alabama. After redshirting in 2023, he played just four games in 2024 before transferring to UVA. There is a solid chance that Osborne can be a great college football player and he comes to Charlottesville with three years of eligibility during which to realize that potential, but given the losses Virginia sustained on the defensive line and the lack of production UVA has gotten in the past couple of seasons, the Cavaliers are hoping that Osborne begins to scratch the surface of that potential immediately in 2025. This also wins the transfer portal optics award, as it's not very often you see a player transfer from Alabama to Virginia, so it's good look for Tony Elliott and company to get Osborne's commitment even before he plays a snap in a UVA uniform.

Click here to read more on Hunter Osborne.

Keep track of all of UVA's transfer portal activity, including outgoing and incoming transfers, here: Virginia Football Transfer Portal Tracker

Stay up to date on all of the transfers who have received offers from Virginia or who have scheduled visits to UVA here: Tracking UVA Football's Offers and Visits in the Transfer Portal

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