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Virginia DB Malcolm Greene Redshirting, Plans to Enter the Transfer Portal

Matt Newton

Malcolm Greene/I
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Virginia graduate defensive back Malcolm Greene will redshirt the remainder of the 2024 season and plans to enter the transfer portal, as announced by Tony Elliott in his weekly press conference on Tuesday afternoon. Greene played in the first four games of the season, but did not play this past weekend against Boston College and will now redshirt to save his final year of eligibility.

"Respect his decision, did everything the right way. Malcolm's been a great addition to our program, really helped establish the culture," Elliott said of Greene on Tuesday. "In a competitive situation, and with one season left, he really wanted to try and maximize that opportunity. So he's going to exercise his redshirt option and look elsewhere next year to be able and find a position that he feels like he can maximize that one year of eligibility that he has left."

Read the complete week 7 Virginia football injury report here: UVA Football Week 7 Injury Report: Updates on Tyree, Clary, Harris & More

A 5'10" defensive back from Richmond, Virginia, Greene transferred from Clemson to UVA before the 2023 season. That year, Greene played in 10 of Virginia's 12 games and made two starts, recording 15 total tackles and four tackles for loss. In his second season as a Cavalier, Greene was struggling to find playing time as another crop of incoming transfers created a crowded cornerback room and he wound up being the backup to Corey Thomas at the SPUR position in the secondary.

In four games, Greene recorded three total tackles, but he also made one of the biggest plays of the season so far for the Cavaliers, forcing a fumble from Wake Forest receiver Taylor Morin that halted a potentially game-winning drive for the Demon Deacons and sealed UVA's huge road victory in week 2.

This is a tough time for Virginia to be losing such an experienced player in the secondary, as the Cavaliers have recently sustained injuries to a few key defensive backs in Antonio Clary, Dre Walker, and Kempton Shine. Greene had played all around the defensive backfield during his football career, playing corner in 2023 and safety earlier in his career, before most recently splitting time with Corey Thomas at SPUR.

Greene is the older brother of current UVA sophomore defensive end Miles Greene.

With Greene out of the lineup, Virginia will turn to senior Micah Gaffney to be the backup to Corey Thomas at the SPUR position. See this week's updated UVA football depth chart here:
Virginia Football Depth Chart vs. Louisville | Takeaways, Analysis

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Virginia Football Depth Chart vs. Louisville | Takeaways, Analysis

Virginia Football: ACC Football Week 7 Power Rankings

Hitting the Keys: Looking Back at Our Five Keys to Virginia vs. Boston College

Virginia Football Opens as Home Underdog vs. Louisville in Week 7

UVA Football Report Card: Handing Out Grades for Virginia vs. Boston College

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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.