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Virginia Football Lands First 2026 Commitment From Quarterback Ely Hamrick

Matt Newton

Angela Wilhelm/Citizen Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Virginia football has its first commitment in the recruiting class of 2026. Three-star quarterback Ely Hamrick announced his commitment to UVA in a social media post on Monday morning following an official visit this past weekend.

A 6'5", 218-pound quarterback from Asheville, North Carolina, Hamrick previously played at IMG Academy in Florida, where he led the Varsity White team to a state championship as a sophomore last year. Hamrick then transferred to A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville before this season to be closer to home.

After throwing for 1,244 yards and 18 touchdowns and no interceptions for IMG last year, Hamrick has thus far thrown for 682 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 142 yards and two more scores through the first four games of the season.

Hamrick picked up an offer from Virginia while participating in a UVA football camp in early June. He was in town for Saturday night's game against Maryland and announced his commitment to the Cavaliers on Monday.

The other top contenders for Hamrick's commitment were Kentucky and Appalachian State and he also held offers from East Carolina, Toledo, and Charlotte.

247Sports rates Hamrick as the No. 65-ranked quarterback in the country in the class of 2026 and the No. 30 overall recruit from the state of North Carolina.

Virginia did not take a quarterback in the high school class of 2024, but has two quarterback commits in the 2025 class: Cole Geer (Deerfield, MA) and Bjorn Jurgensen (Orlando, FL).

Getting a quarterback committed this early in the recruiting cycle could be a huge advantage for the Cavaliers, as Hamrick should be able to help Virginia pursue other recruiting targets in the class of 2026.

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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.