Three Remaining Virginia Players Who Will Ease NFL Draft Losses

Rest assured, these players will east Virginia's NFL draft losses

Vanderbilt wide receiver Richie Hoskins (5) is stopped by Georgia State safety Jaylen Jones (23) during the first quarter at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Virginia lost a number of players to the next level and players who should be able to make rosters next season. They will have to replace a bunch of them, but what they did in the portal and the development of their roster should ease those worries.

Now, with this list, we tried to highlight players that are flying under the radar but should have a big impact on the Cavaliers. 

1. DB Josiah Persinger 

The sophomore defensive back has been turning heads this spring and should have a keen role for the cornerback room in 2026. He has been impressive thus far and with some of the losses at cornerback, should potentially be a starter for head coach Tony Elliot in 2026. He played sparingly in 2025 and only recorded two tackles, but has fully caught the eye of his head coach. 

"Yeah, he can run. He's fast, probably the fastest guy we got on the team. He's a physical guy for his size and his position. Starting to see just the confidence in his body language, the more reps that he gets, the better understanding that he has, and therefore you can hear him a little bit more. Still just experience, he's going to be out there on an island, and they got to have a short memory. And you're going against a highly talented guy, so there's going to be some competitive plays that are made. The supreme confidence, and not only going to come through experience, but he's got all the tools that we need. Just the biggest thing is repetition, and then the complexity of what we do schematically, like the spring is about what we do, and then also trying to maybe tweak and experiment with some things, which is challenging for a younger guy, because just when they feel like they're getting the hang of it, man, you introduce something new that they may not have done before, and then they got to manage all of that. Overall, very pleased with where he is in his progression,” said Elliot. 

2. WR TyLyric Coleman 

Now follow me with Coleman because the wide receiver room will look vastly different, and Virginia has to replace a lot of players from last year’s team, including Cam Ross, who signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent. Now Coleman only had two catches for 29 yards last season, but with a lot of unknowns at wide receiver, he should be able to establish himself. Coach Elliot has talked about how the Cavaliers will need his playmaking ability this upcoming season. That can loom large, and he could be poised for a breakout year. 

"So TyLyric, and I've said this, I think he's probably the most talented of the guys in the group just doesn't have a ton of experience for just different reasons throughout his career and now's his time, and so I started to see him operate with more confidence and want to. Saw him make some plays, and I think now you're seeing him do more than just a routine play. He can create the explosive play, but he's got to be consistent, you know, day in and day out, there's probably not a guy in the program that gets challenged more by me than he does. I'm constantly challenging him because I think he's got a ton of upside, and we haven't seen it. But now's the time,” said Elliot. 

“He's also kind of up against that clock. And so he doesn't have a whole lot of time to not fully invest. And I think we're seeing a higher level of investment, which is producing better results on the field. And he's going to be a guy that we need. We're going to need his playmaking ability. We're going to need his speed and his quickness and athleticism at the position.” 

3. DB Jaylen Jones 

Jones could be the ideal replacement for Devin Neal, who is headed to the NFL. Jones appeared in all 12 games and finished with 66 tackles at Georgia State last year. 2025 was the year of a lot of firsts for Jones, who recorded his first-ever forced fumble, interception, and safety for the Panthers. He is known for his physicality and ability to play the run at a high level, which bodes well for Virginia. Jones has also continued to improve on the backend in coverage and has become more of a player in that area of his game. After a career season with the Panthers, he could be in line for a big-time role for Virginia next season.