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UVA Football Hosting Maryland QB Transfer Billy Edwards Jr. for Visit

Matt Newton

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Less than 24 hours after landing a commitment from a transfer quarterback, Virginia is hosting another quarterback target in the transfer portal. A source confirmed to Virginia Cavaliers On SI that Maryland transfer quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. is currently visiting UVA on Monday (December 16). This visit comes just one day after the Cavaliers picked up a commitment from Nebraska quarterback transfer Daniel Kaelin.

Tony Elliott said before the transfer portal window opened that Virginia would be strongly considering taking two quarterbacks in the portal this offseason. With Anthony Colandrea entering the portal and Tony Muskett having exhausted his eligibility, the Cavaliers were left with no experienced options on their roster at the most important position on the field. Daniel Kaelin is a promising young quarterback, but does not check the box for experience, having redshirted his freshman season in 2024. As the Hoos hope to bring an experienced player into their quarterback room for 2025, Billy Edwards Jr. could be the answer.

A 6'4" quarterback from Springfield, Virginia, Edwards had a standout high school career at Lake Braddock in Burke, Virginia, throwing for more than 5,000 yards and 59 touchdowns in just two seasons. He had plenty of offers, but mostly from smaller programs. Wake Forest was the only Power conference program to offer him and that's where he committed, redshirting the 2021 season with the Demon Deacons, who made it to the ACC Championship Game with Sam Hartman at quarterback that year.

Edwards then entered the transfer portal after spring football in 2022 and transferred to Maryland, where he sat behind Taulia Tagovailoa for two seasons and watched as Tagovailoa became the Big Ten's all-time passing yards leader. The 2024 season was Edwards' first opportunity as a starting quarterback and he got off to a great start, throwing 11 touchdowns to just two interceptions in his first five games. Maryland went 3-2 in those games with losses to Michigan State and Indiana but a big win at Virginia in week 3. In his last six games, Edwards threw seven interceptions to just four touchdowns and the Terps went 1-5 in those games. Edwards missed the last game of the season against Penn State and Maryland finished the season 4-8, a surprising outcome given how the Terrapins manhandled the Cavaliers, who wound up going 5-7.

In 11 games, Edwards threw for 2,881 passing yards and 15 touchdowns against nine interceptions, completed 65% of his passes, and ran for five touchdowns. He ranked third in the Big Ten in passing but also attempted more passes than any quarterback in the conference. Maryland had a poor offensive line, couldn't establish the run, and Edwards consistently took hits in the pocket, a very similar storyline as what unfolded for Virginia this season.

Now, Edwards is in the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining and it seemed at first that he might be heading to Michigan, but just this morning (Monday, December 16), On3 flipped their recruiting prediction and are now projecting him to go to Wisconsin. But first, Edwards is taking a visit to Virginia to see if there is a fit for a potential return to his home state.

Virginia has been very active in the first week of the transfer portal window, sending out countless offers, hosting many transfer targets, and breaking through with its first three transfer commitments on Sunday, as Nebraska quarterback Daniel Kaelin, Louisville defensive back Devin Neal, and Morgan State defensive back Ja'son Prevard all committed to the Cavaliers within a brief span on Sunday.

UVA will continue to be active in the portal, looking for reinforcements at several positions, including offensive and defensive line, wide receiver, and quarterback.

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

More Virginia Football News

Will Malachi Fields Return to Virginia for One Final Season?

UVA Football Adds Morgan State Transfer Defensive Back Ja'son Prevard

Louisville Defensive Back Transfer Devin Neal Commits to Virginia

Virginia Football Lands Nebraska Quarterback Transfer Daniel Kaelin

Former UVA Quarterback Anthony Colandrea Taking Visit to ACC School

UVA Football Hosting Several Defensive Transfers for Visits

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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.