Updating Virginia's Scholarship Chart and Roster Projection After Transfer Haul

Matt Newton | May 9, 2024

Florida State transfer guard Jalen Warley, Duke transfer forward TJ Power, San Diego State transfer forward Elijah Saunders. / Matt Pendleton/Rob Kinnan/Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports

After a dry first six weeks of the offseason, the dam on the transfer portal burst and the outlook for the 2024-2025 Virginia men's basketball season changed instantly and drastically as the Cavaliers landed four transfer commitments in a four-day span, the last of which was an extra treat as Vanderbilt forward Carter Lang committed to UVA on Tuesday, reportedly as a walk-on.

With the dust settling on a whirlwind recruiting spree for Tony Bennett and the Virginia coaching staff, let's reset the deck and take a look at UVA's scholarship chart and projected roster breakdown for next season.

First, let's summarize Virginia's various roster changes so far this offseason:

Departures:
1 Dante Harris (RS Jr.) - transfer portal
2 Reece Beekman (Sr.) - NBA Draft
13 Ryan Dunn (So.) - NBA Draft
22 Jordan Minor (Gr.) - exhausted eligibility
34 Jake Groves (Gr.) - exhausted eligibility
35 Leon Bond III (RS Fr.) - transfer portal

Expected returners:
0 Blake Buchanan (So.)
4 Andrew Rohde (Jr.)
10 Taine Murray (Sr.)
11 Isaac McKneely (Jr.)
12 Elijah Gertrude (So.)
21 Anthony Robinson (RS Fr.)
30 Christian Bliss (RS Fr.)

Current additions:
G Jalen Warley (Florida State transfer, one year remaining)
F TJ Power (Duke transfer, three years remaining)
F Elijah Saunders (San Diego State transfer, two years remaining)
F Carter Lang (Vanderbilt transfer, three years remaining) ** walk-on
G Ishan Sharma (incoming freshman)
F Jacob Cofie (incoming freshman)

Here's Virginia's current scholarship roster for the 2024-2025 season sorted by position and including details on each player's eligibility remaining:

PG: Jalen Warley (1 year), Christian Bliss (4 years)
SG: Isaac McKneely (2 years), Elijah Gertrude (3 years), Ishan Sharma (4 years)
SF: Andrew Rohde (2 years), Taine Murray (1 year)
PF: TJ Power (3 years), Elijah Saunders (2 years), Jacob Cofie (4 years)
C: Blake Buchanan (3 years), Anthony Robinson (4 years)

Scholarship spots used: 12/13
Open scholarship spots: 1

The most important effect of the transfer additions is the status of UVA's power forward position. With Ryan Dunn declaring for the NBA Draft and Jake Groves graduating, the Cavaliers were left with only incoming freshman Jacob Cofie at that spot. Now, Virginia should head into next season feeling quite confident at the 4 with the additions of TJ Power, a former five-star recruit with extremely high upside on the offensive end, and Elijah Saunders, who could also see time at center in a similar capacity as Jordan Minor due to his stature at 6'8", 240 pounds.

Carter Lang could end up being an underrated pickup as well, as the 6'9", 235-pound forward and Charlottesville native appeared in 24 games and made seven starts as a true freshman last season at Vanderbilt.

Jalen Warley provides experience (96 career games) and size (6'7") to UVA's group of guards and could spend time running point for the Cavaliers, as he had a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio last season for Florida State.

As for what will happen with Virginia's final open scholarship spot, keep an eye on Kansas State transfer guard Dai Dai Ames, who took an official visit to UVA on Monday. The 6'1" freshman started 16 of 31 games last season for the Wildcats, averaging 5.2 points and 2.0 assists per game and shot 32.9% from beyond the arc. Ames started the last 13 games of the season and scored in double figures in three of the last five, ending the year by scoring a season-high 16 points and hitting four threes against Iowa in the NIT.

If Virginia doesn't get a commitment from Ames or another player for the 2024-2025 season, that final scholarship could end up going to Carter Lang.

More Virginia Men's Basketball News and Content

Virginia Basketball Transfer Portal Contact Live Tracker
Virginia Basketball Adds Vanderbilt Transfer Forward Carter Lang

San Diego State Transfer Elijah Saunders Commits to Virginia Basketball
Duke Forward TJ Power Transfers to Virginia Basketball
Report: Virginia Hosting Kansas State Guard Transfer Dai Dai Ames
Former Virginia Wing Leon Bond III Transfers to Northern Iowa
Virginia Basketball Lands First Transfer Commitment From FSU Guard Jalen Warley