Cavaliers Now

Virginia Basketball Lands First Transfer Commitment From FSU Guard Jalen Warley

Matt Newton

Jalen Warley handles the ball during the Florida State men's basketball game against Miami at Watsco Center.
Jalen Warley handles the ball during the Florida State men's basketball game against Miami at Watsco Center. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

At long last, the Cavaliers have their first transfer commitment of the offseason. Florida State transfer guard Jalen Warley committed to Virginia on Saturday morning, as first reported by On3's Joe Tipton.

A 6'7" junior guard from Philadelphia, Warley came to UVA for an official visit on Thursday and announced his commitment to the Cavaliers a couple of days later. Virginia was reportedly the only school Warley visited after entering the transfer portal.

Warley played in 96 games over the last three seasons at Florida State, including 58 starts. This past season, he started 32 of 33 games, averaging a career-high 7.5 points to go along with 2.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. Warley barely took any three-pointers this season and made them at just a 14.3% clip, but the Cavaliers will hope he can revert to his 2022-2023 form, when he shot 32.3% from beyond the arc.

Virginia recruited Warley quite a bit out of high school and the four-star prospect and McDonald's All-America nominee ultimately chose Florida State over the likes of UVA, Michigan, Oregon, Miami, Memphis, and others. When Warley came available in the transfer portal, Tony Bennett reestablished contact and this time was able to bring him to Charlottesville, where he'll spend his final year of eligibility.

At 6'7", Warley will be a versatile asset on the defensive end with his ability to guard multiple positions. On the other end of the floor, Warley could run point guard for the Cavaliers, whose only other natural point guard on the roster is redshirt freshman Christian Bliss. Warley had a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio for the Seminoles last season.

With Warley's commitment, Virginia has filled 10 of its 13 scholarship spots for the 2024-2025 season. Here's UVA'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: Jacob Cofie (4 years)
C: Blake Buchanan (3 years), Anthony Robinson (4 years)

The Cavaliers are set to host San Diego State transfer forward Elijah Saunders for an official visit on Sunday and Monday as they look to find their replacement for Ryan Dunn at power forward. UVA is also reportedly expected to host Campbell guard transfer Anthony Dell'Orso, who averaged 19.5 points per game and shot 38.0% from three last season, but the details of that visit have not been reported yet.

Finally, Virginia is still hoping to get a commitment from 2024 four-star point guard Trent Perry, who visited last month. The addition of Warley shouldn't necessarily interfere with UVA's chances with Perry as Warley has just one year of eligibility remaining.

More Virginia Men's Basketball News and Content

Virginia Basketball Transfer Portal Contact Live Tracker
Still Empty-Handed, Where Does Virginia Go Next in the Transfer Portal?
Virginia's Updated Scholarship Picture With Dante Harris Transferring Out
Virginia to Host Four-Star Point Guard Trent Perry for Official Visit
Virginia Guard Reece Beekman Declares for 2024 NBA Draft
Could Trent Perry be the Solution to Virginia's Point Guard Problem?

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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.