Better, Worse or Even: Comparing Virginia's 2026 Roster to The 2025 Roster

How are the Cavaliers looking ahead of their 2026 campaign?

Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Kameron Courtney | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Virginia Cavaliers have faced a considerable amount of changes to their roster this offseason—there's a relatively new face to head coach Tony Elliott's program. For better or worse, some of his positions have an entirely new look, and only time will tell how they hold up compared to last year.

With rosters fairly set now that the transfer portal has closed, we've assessed Virginia's roster to determine the better, the worse and the even of Elliott's players heading into their 2026 campaign.

Overall, this was yet another successful year in the portal for Elliott, but as always, there were a few hiccups along the way. He had a slow start, was forced to say goodbye to some of his most valuable players, and had a handful of gaps to plug at nearly every position on the board. With that, let's take a look at how things are shaping up.

The Better

Tennessee Volunteers running back Peyton Lewis | David Leong-Imagn Images

Despite losing veterans Harrison Waylee and J'Mari Taylor, Virginia's running back room was bolstered this offseason. Elliott welcomed aboard Peyton Lewis from Tennessee, Solomon Beebe from UAB and Jekail Middlebrook from Middle Tennessee. Elliott attacked this position and added great depth with this trio.

Not to mention, Xavier Brown, Xay Davis and Noah Vaughn are all returning, which will only help the Cavaliers on offense.

The Worse

Virginia Cavaliers linebacker Maddox Marcellus | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The Cavaliers were able to retain linebacker Maddox Marcellus, but the movement in this position was rather slim this offseason. Kam Robinson's ability to return to his previous dominant form remains unclear after suffering an ACL injury. Marcellus emerged in his place, but there's still uncertainty surrounding this position and how things will unfold.

Compared to last year when Robinson recorded 64 total tackles, two sacks and two interceptions, the confidence in UVA's linebacker room has dropped a bit.

The Even

Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Virginia's most notable acquisitions were those of quarterbacks Beau Pribula from Missouri and Eli Holstein from Pittsburgh. Considering how different Pribula, who is expected to serve as a starter, is from UVA's former signal caller Chandler Morris, it's difficult to accurately assess them side-by-side. Pribula is a dual-threat player with a strong track record on the field, and so is Holstein.

There is a stark difference between Virginia's quarterback rooms from last year and this year, but they could end up reeling in similar results. This wouldn't be a bad thing, as Morris was phenomenal during his 2025 campaign.