Judge Denies Preliminary Injunction In Chandler Morris Case, Denying Him Another Season of Eligibility

Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris was seeking a 7th year of eligibility, but his preliminary injunction was denied. He had filed a lawsuit against the NCAA for another season, arguing that he should have gotten a medical redshirt due to some injuries he had while at TCU in 2022 and 2023. He played in only four games in both of those seasons.

BREAKING: Judge denies preliminary injunction for UVA QB Chandler Morris, denying Morris a seventh year of eligibility
— Jacquie Franciulli (@JacquieFran_) April 2, 2026

What now for Virginia?

Chandler Morris Virgini — Dec 27, 2025; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Chandler Morris (4) runs the ball against the Missouri Tigers during the fourth quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | Travis Register-Imagn Images

With Morris now officially out of eligibility, Virginia is going to move forward with Missouri transfer Beau Pribula and Pittsburgh transfer Eli Holstein at quarterback.

Both players are talented, but replacing Morris is not going to be an easy task. Last season for UVA, Morris threw for 3,000 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions while completing 65% of his passes. He gave UVA a lot of stability at the position, which they had been lacking so far in the Tony Elliott era.

It was a longshot that Morris was going to be granted his injunction and another season of eligibility which meant that UVA was going to need to act in the transfer portal. They landed not one, but two former starting power four quarterbacks to compete to replace Morris.

Pribula helped Mizzou win six of its first seven games and was 7-3 as the starting QB he finished the year 182-for-270 (67.4%) with 1,941 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions and also rushed for 297 yards and six touchdowns on 95 attempts. His 67.4 completion percentage was the third-highest in the SEC and he burst onto the national scene in 42-31 comeback win over Kansas in the second game of the season. Completed 30-of-39 passes (76.9%) for 334 yards, 3 TD and finished with a passer rating of 174.25 in that game.

Pribula is more of a dual threat quarterback than either Morris or Holstein is and that is one of the biggest reasons why he is considered the favorite to win the starting job.

But don't count out Holstein.

Holstein appeared in eight games and started the first four of the season in 2025. He was 77-for-125 (61.6%) with 1,081 yards passing and threw 12 touchdown passes on the year against 6 interceptions and also added 88 rushing yards and to rushing TD to his season total. Holstein led Pitt to wins over Duquesne (8/30) and Central Michigan (9/6) to start the year 2-0. In the opener against Duquesne, he threw four touchdown passes (15-of-23, 215 yards) for the first time in his career, becoming the first Pitt quarterback to do so since Kenny Pickett in 2021, while also rushing for 41 yards

With Morris now done with college football, UVA can move forward with its quarterback competition and look to make it back to the ACC Championship game.